Asked by
To ask His Majesty’s Government what proposals they have to
support lower volumes of carbon dioxide production, as well as
increased carbon capture and storage, in the cement industry.
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Department for Energy
Security and Net Zero () (Con)
My Lords, the Government are committed to working with the cement
sector to explore decarbonisation options and are pursuing
several strategic funding and policy initiatives. This includes
developing options for access to CCUS. In March this year, as
part of the CCUS cluster sequencing process, the Government
published the Track-1 project negotiation list, which included
the Hanson Padeswood cement works project. That was one of five
projects to proceed to negotiations for support through the
relevant business model.
(Con)
I thank my noble friend for that encouraging Answer. As cement
accounts for about 8% of our carbon dioxide output, this is a
crucial area for us to pay attention to. May I draw my noble
friend’s attention to the importance of standards in this area?
So many specify which materials should be used, rather than what
performance should be achieved. If the Government could help the
transformation of that, there would be much more ability to use
bath furnace slag and more modern additives such as graphene.
(Con)
The figures I have are slightly different; my figures say that
the sector accounts for 1.5% of the UK’s total greenhouse gas
emissions. The sector has made strong progress in reducing its
emissions. Of course, we stand by to help it further. It is a
particularly difficult sector to decarbonise, given that 70% of
its emissions are process-related.
(LD)
My Lords, I have to admit that I agree with the Minister; I think
the figure is 1.5%. We have an important cement industry in this
country on which many other sectors are dependent. However, five
out of 10 plants are not in one of the industrial areas in which
we are going to have a concentration of carbon capture and
storage—there are five others outside those areas. In the past,
the Government have suggested that there would be a lifeline for
enabling carbon capture and storage for those other five. Where
are we on that? Are the Government still positive about aiding
the whole sector to decarbonise?
(Con)
I thank the Liberal Democrats for agreeing with something I have
said, for a change; that is a welcome departure from normal
practice. I agree with the noble Lord, and as I said, this is a
difficult sector to decarbonise. We are working with it and
having regular meetings. There are 10 cement plants in the UK,
only one of which is situated in an existing cluster. Of course,
we are considering expressions of interest from additional
clusters at the moment. I would not want to predict that process.
Whatever happens, CCUS will clearly be a key technology for many
cement plants. We have funded a number of feasibility projects
with existing suppliers and will continue to work with them.
(Lab)
My Lords, what are the Government doing to encourage alternative
building methods that do not need cement, or need much smaller
volumes of cement? That would help with the carbon issue quite
dramatically.
(Con)
The noble Lord makes a good point. We are exploring the role that
demand-side policies could play in creating demand for low-carbon
cement, or indeed less demand for cement. We recently concluded a
consultation which sought feedback on proposals for low-carbon
standards, and we will continue to pursue that.
(CB)
My Lords, as well as CO2 being produced as a by-product of the
chemical reaction in cement production, the other main source of
emissions is the high heat required: around 1,400 degrees
centigrade or more. What work are the Government doing to support
a road map for the development of electric kilns?
(Con)
That is one of technologies we are looking at. We also gave £3.2
million to the Mineral Products Association to develop a
low-carbon fuel mix for cement. It held a trial at Hanson’s
Ribblesdale plant and Tarmac’s Tunstead plant using a mix of 100%
net-zero fuels, including hydrogen.
(Lab)
My Lords, I too agree with the Minister that the concrete
industry accounts for approximately 1.5% of emissions in this
country. Globally, the figure rises to 8%, as the noble Lord,
, said. Last year, a report from
the Low Carbon Concrete Group suggested that the UK concrete
industry could become a carbon sink by the 2040s. Welcome though
this prediction is, we must recognise that this is a global
problem. What steps are the Government taking to encourage other
countries to set out and achieve similarly ambitious goals?
(Con)
Both the Liberal Democrats and Labour agreeing with me is
destroying my credibility on this side of the House. I agree with
the noble Lord; we are seeking to work with other countries as
well. One of the issues in the sector, as we look to reform the
ETS, is carbon leakage. We must make sure we do all we can to
avoid it.
(LD)
My Lords, if we are to reduce the use of cement, the move from
demolishing buildings and rebuilding them—particularly in the
commercial sector—to adaptation is an important part of that. As
I walk down Victoria Street every morning, I see buildings being
demolished and buildings replacing others which are only 40 years
old. That is clearly crazy, and adaptation is a way for us to
build a more sustainable economy. What are the Government doing
to improve incentives and regulations to make the adaptation of
established buildings, rather than their replacement, a
priority?
(Con)
The noble Lord makes a good point. We should, of course, always
look at adaptation. As for his particular example, I can think of
one building on Victoria Street, occupied by my department, which
definitely should be demolished as soon as possible—
Noble Lords
Oh!
(Con)
There is too much agreement in the House today with the Liberal
Democrats. Setting aside personal views, his overall point is
right: of course we should look at adaptation and reuse if
possible.
(GP)
What are the Government doing about adaptation—not just looking
at it; are they doing anything?
(Con)
This is one of a number of different policies that we need to
look at. Does the noble Baroness mean adaptation to climate
change, or does she mean adaptation of existing buildings? Of
course we are looking at both.
