SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA: Australian environmental technology company Calix Limited (ASX: CXL) announced, in collaboration with Boral Limited (ASX: BLD), a carbon abatement project with $30m in funding from the Australian Government’s Carbon Capture, Use and Storage (CCUS) Hubs and Technologies Program.
The Project, undertaken by Boral in collaboration with Calix, will help accelerate Calix’s LEILAC technology through development of both cement and lime deployment options, as well as alternative fuels and renewable energy use.
Since 2019, Calix’s LEILAC technology has been piloted with leading cement and lime companies in Europe and recently attracted US-based impact investment fund Carbon Direct to invest directly into the LEILAC technology to accelerate global development and deployment.
The Project, in the NSW Southern Highlands aims to:
(i) Develop CO2 capture capability for Boral’s cement and lime facilities,
(ii) Assess alternative energy sources such as renewable energy and alternative fuels, to further reduce CO2 emissions.
Options for utilisation of the CO2 from the Project will also be assessed which, when combined with alternative fuels or renewable energy to power the technology, are targeted to create truly zero emissions lime and cement.
The Project objectives are aligned with the Government’s Technology Roadmap to reach net zero emissions by 2050 and to lower the cost of Carbon Capture, Use and Storage to less than $20/tonne.
This funding will now support Boral and Calix in finalising key commercial terms and commencing design. If the initial feasibility phase, which is expected to take about twelve months, is successful, a full FEED study will follow leading to an FID, followed by an EPC and operational phase.
Boral Chief Operating Officer Darren Schulz said: “This is game changing technology for our industry and will play a critical role in supporting customers’ sustainability targets.
Together, Boral and Calix have access to the required infrastructure, technology and operational expertise required to deliver this project and lead the way in reducing emissions across the industry.
By modernising Australia’s cement industry, we are enabling the growth of lower carbon construction materials, which are essential to jobs and local economies”.
Calix Managing Director and CEO Phil Hodgson said: “Calix has been working hard advancing our technology in Europe, but this project represents an acceleration in carbon abatement ambition that has occurred in Australia over a very short timeframe, led by companies such as Boral, and with the support of the Federal Government and the Technology Investment Roadmap and CCUS Technologies Program.
It is great to be working with an Australian company such as Boral, with an Australian, home-grown technology, in a world-leading project.”