Hanson is committed to reducing carbon emissions at every stage of its business and has already made significant progress, with annual carbon emissions less than half the level they were in 1990. But our ambition of reaching net-zero carbon emissions by 2050 can only be made a reality if we are able to use carbon capture and storage (CCS) technology. Cement production is energy-intensive and our cement business is the source of more than 90 of all of our CO_2 emissions, making it a key focus of our decarbonisation plans. Of these emissions, around 70 come from the chemical processes involved in the material's production, which cannot be reduced by using low-carbon or renewable energy sources. As a result, the only way to produce the cement needed without emitting large amounts of carbon is to capture and store these emissions, removing them from the process completely. To this end, Hanson UK is proposing to invest around ￡400 million to build an industry-leading carbon-capture facility at its Padeswood cement works, near Mold in north Wales. It would capture the CO_2 produced during cement manufacture before it enters the atmosphere, transporting it via the HyNet North West underground pipeline and storing it safely under the seabed.
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