New Nobel Center opts for net-zero concrete

Construction of the Nobel Center Project’s new Nobel Center will use Heidelberg Materials’ evoZero, the world’s first carbon-captured net-zero concrete.

Scheduled to break ground in 2027, the new building is intended to be at the forefront of environmental and climate responsibility and will offer a broad range of public activities including exhibitions, school programmes, and lectures.

Launched at the end of 2023, Heidelberg Materials’ evoZero is the world’s first carbon-captured net-zero cement and concrete based on the application of Carbon Capture and Storage (CCS) technology.

CCS involves capturing CO₂ from large emissions sources and storing it safely in suitable geological formations, instead of releasing it into the atmosphere.

Heidelberg Materials’ CCS facility at its Brevik cement plant in Norway, the world’s first industrial-scale carbon capture facility at a cement plant, will be mechanically completed by the end of 2024. Once operational, 400,000 tonnes of CO₂ per year are to be captured and transported by ship to an onshore terminal on the Norwegian west coast.

From there, the liquefied CO₂ will be transported by pipeline to the storage site under the North Sea, where it will be permanently stored. In 2025, Heidelberg Materials will start supplying its customers with evoZero.

Commenting on the announcement, which follows the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between the Nobel Center Project and Heidelberg Materials, Jon Morrish, a member of the Managing Board of Heidelberg Materials and responsible for the Group area Europe, said: “Together with the Nobel Center project, we aim to set a new standard for sustainable construction and pave the way for other future-oriented players. The collaboration enables us to combine the world of science and innovative solutions from our own sector such as evoZero in an exciting way.”

Vidar Helgesen, executive director of the Nobel Foundation, said: “Science confirms again and again that the world is facing an acute climate and nature crisis. Several Nobel Prizes have been awarded both for highlighting this threat and for innovations to mitigate it. When we build a new house for science, culture, and dialogue in Stockholm, we want to act in keeping with science. The Nobel Center project is therefore seeking new solutions for material use and re-use in order to minimise climate impact.”