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Cement produces approximately 8 percent of Earth's greenhouse gases. Thus, the demand for lower-carbon cement is surging as regulators in the states and other countries mandate cleaner products.
Some of the world’s biggest companies — especially tech firms pouring hundreds of thousands of tons of concrete to build sprawling data center campuses — see green cement as a crucial vehicle for meeting their own emissions targets. Amazon, Google, Meta and Microsoft are all pursuing partnerships aimed at securing more climate-friendly cement.
Some of the world’s biggest companies — especially tech firms pouring hundreds of thousands of tons of concrete to build sprawling data center campuses — see green cement as a crucial vehicle for meeting their own emissions targets. Amazon, Google, Meta and Microsoft are all pursuing partnerships aimed at securing more climate-friendly cement.
The Heidelberg plant in the town of Mitchell was meant to be a model for the world, a place where the United States could take the lead in cutting carbon dioxide emissions from cement manufacturing — an increasingly urgent goal for construction projects. Yet the administration’s cancellation of the $500 million grant for machinery to trap and bury the plant’s greenhouse gas left the staunchly Republican community stunned and cement industry officials questioning if the U.S. will be equipped to keep up with a fast-evolving global marketplace.
“This was going to be a demonstration project for the entire country,” said Don Caudell, the Republican mayor of Mitchell, with a population of 4,000. “Part of what is disheartening for us is so much had already been done and spent on this project, and now it has all come to a halt. Why would we not proceed with this to see how viable the technology is?” he asked. “It could virtually eliminate carbon dioxide emissions. It would be a win for everyone.”
Cement manufacturing also is one more sector where the United States has been in an innovation race with China, with both countries vying to invent the technologies that will be used by cement makers of the future.
The project was enthusiastically supported by GOP leaders in the state, who joined Biden administration officials at its unveiling.
How does cancelling this project help the U.S.?