SaltX, Holcim and Paebbl secure $4.6 mil funding for electric cement plant

SaltX Technology has secured $46. million in EU funding, alongside cement producer Holcim and CO₂ mineralization firm Paebbl, to demonstrate electrified and circular cement production at an industrial scale under the CET Partnership program.

The project will be carried out at SaltX's industrial test and research facility in Hofors, Sweden, where SaltX's electric clinker reactor will be in conjunction with the permanent use of captured carbon dioxide, SaltX said in a June 26 statement. The initiative links this approach with Paebbl's mineralization technology, which aims to permanently bind captured CO₂ into stable carbon-negative construction materials.

Total project funding is around SEK 45 million ($4.6 million), with SaltX responsible for about SEK 19 million ($1.96 million) of activity, including SEK 13 million ($1.34 million) supported by the CET Partnership, according to the statement.

The program also includes research and institutional partners RISE, NCCBM, CSIR-CBRI and Université Gustave Eiffel.

"We have already demonstrated that high-quality cement clinker can be produced through a fully electrified process. This collaboration brings together leading industrial and research partners across the value chain to demonstrate how electrification and circular carbon utilization can be integrated at industrial scale," Lina Jorheden, CEO at SaltX Technology said. "Together, we are laying the foundation for a new generation of cement production."

Holcim will work with the pair to implement this innovative development in both new and existing production plants as it renovates the full value chain from production to carbon utilization. The demonstration is scheduled to start in autumn 2026 and to run for approximately three years, according to the statement.

"The cement industry faces a dual pressure: reduce energy intensity and eliminate carbon emissions at the same time. This collaboration shows what it looks like when you tackle both together, electrifying the kiln and turning the captured CO₂ into a carbon-storing SCM that pushes the boundaries of carbon efficiency in the concrete mix itself," Andreas Saari, co-CEO and co-founder at Paebbl, said.