Lafarge, OMV, Verbund and Borealis join forces on CO2 use on industrial scale

Lafarge, OMV, Verbund and Borealis co-sign a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) for the joint planning and construction of a full-scale plant in Austria by 2030 to capture CO2 and process it into synthetic fuels, plastics or other chemicals.

This innovative project significantly reduces emissions from cement production, establishing the green-house gas CO2 as a valuable raw material.

In the MoU, the leading industrial players Lafarge, OMV, Verbund and Borealis agree on collaborating across industry sectors in the project ‘Carbon2ProductAustria’ (C2PAT). Its objective is to create a cross sectorial value chain and to operate a full-scale plant by 2030 which will eventually capture almost 100 per cent of the annually emitted 700,000 tons of CO2 at Lafarge’s cement plant in Mannersdorf, Austria. The aim is to ultimately use the captured CO2 as a resource.

In combination with green hydrogen (from renewable energies) produced by Verbund, the captured CO2 will be transformed by OMV to renewable based hydrocarbons, which, in turn can be used to produce renewable based fuels or be utilised by Borealis as a feedstock to manufacture value-add plastics.

"We are committed to leading the industry in reducing carbon emissions and shifting towards low-carbon construction. We have worked consistently and successfully on the reduction of the CO2 footprint of our cement plants, products and solutions. Ultimately, CO2-neutral cement production can only be possible with the implementation of breakthrough technologies, like Carbon Capture, which is why we have great expectations for the C2PAT project", Lafarge CEO José Antonio Primo points out.

Verbund, Austria’s largest electricity company, will supply the green hydrogen used to recycle the captured CO2: “Green hydrogen is produced when water is electrolyzed using electricity from renewable sources. For the Carbon2ProductAustria-Project we will use green electricity from our renewable generation portfolio,” explains Michael Strugl, Deputy CEO Verbund. “Green hydrogen offers huge potential for decarbonising CO2-intensive industrial processes. In order to reach our national and global climate goals we have to collaborate across sectors and join our efforts for decarbonisation and climate neutrality.”

The success of C2PAT will largely depend on whether the right financial and regulatory framework conditions are created both at the EU and Austrian national level. With this ambitious collaboration, Lafarge, OMV, Verbund and Borealis are showcasing an innovative and viable solution for the transformation towards a Zero CO2 economy in Europe.

Rainer Seele, OMV Chairman of the Executive Board and CEO: “Climate protection requires innovation and cooperation. With this project we aim to do both, and it shows that economic viability and climate protection go hand in hand based on new technologies. CO2 is not just a greenhouse gas that we have to reduce. It is also a valuable raw material from which we can produce synthetic fuels and feedstock for the chemical industry.”

“Circularity requires us to consider the whole system, and not default to the least change, linear option because it is more convenient,” comments Borealis CEO Alfred Stern. “The plastics industry can be a powerful contributor to climate action, through materials replacement that reduces weight, by minimising food waste and by shifting to well-designed circularity that reduces CO2 emissions. We are excited to join forces with our industry partners on our mission to drive the change towards a Zero CO2 industry.”