The cement company Cemex and Enagás, through its subsidiary Scale Green Energy, have sealed a collaboration to deploy a comprehensive solution for maritime transport of captured CO2 from cement plants. The agreement is part of the sector's decarbonization strategies and seeks to enable a complete carbon value chain.
The approach includes joint investments in capture and logistics, with the shipment of CO2 in a liquefied state towards authorized storage facilities in Southern Europe. In addition, the parties will study the extension by pipeline as a complementary way to strengthen the network.
An agreement to accelerate industrial decarbonization
The alliance aims to cover the entire CO2 cycle: from capture at Cemex factories to delivery to geological warehouses or other authorized solutions, with logistics designed to large volumes and traceability. This move aligns with the cement company's climate strategy, "Future in Action".
From Enagás, Jesus Saldaña —General Director of Business Development and Investee Companies—highlights that cooperation allows Spain to position itself in a capture and storage infrastructure key to meeting European objectives, including the Community target of capture 50 million tons of CO2 by 2030.
How CO2 will move: from the plant to the sea
At Cemex facilities, emissions are will capture and liquefy for transport. The liquefied CO2 will then be loaded at the port and travel by sea to Mediterranean hubs with authorization and operations underway.
The solution focuses on the security, efficiency and scalability, essential requirements for managing volumes typical of difficult-to-abate sectors such as the cement industry. According to the company, the design is geared towards minimize logistics times and costs.
The new generation ship
Scale Green Energy will lead the development of a 20.000 m³ specialized vessel for the transport of liquefied CO2. This vessel will allow connect several industrial plants with different storage points in the Mediterranean arc, providing operational flexibility.
The design aims at a agile implementation and the possibility of adapting routes and frequencies depending on the availability of the issuing centres and the reception hubs, with the aim of accelerating the deployment of the carbon logistics chain.
Pipelines as a complementary route
The agreement contemplates analyzing the development of pipeline transport in stretches where it is advantageous, for example, to bring the captured CO2 closer to maritime terminals. This option will be studied as supplement to shipping by boat, not as a substitute, taking into account technical and regulatory criteria.
Impact for Spain and European objectives
The initiative aims to strengthen Spain's role in the European carbon capture and storage chain, providing a concrete solution for the cement sector. To Benjamin Cabrera, Head of Operations at Cemex Spain, having large-scale logistics is key to managing significant volumes of CO2 safely and at a competitive cost.
The project focuses on reducing emissions that are difficult to abate and in improving industrial competitiveness, by enabling an infrastructure that integrates capture, transportation and storage with criteria of reliability and regulatory compliance.
Governance and next steps
The companies will work in the technical and economic analysis of the logistics scheme, as well as in the design of the ship and the coordination with the authorized storage sitesThe roadmap includes engineering milestones and regulatory assessment to scale the solution as its viability progresses.
With this collaboration, Cemex and Enagás seek to lay the foundations for a regional CO2 transport network by sea that connects emission sources with hubs in the Mediterranean, driving the transition towards a low-carbon industry without losing sight of security, cost and speed of deployment.
