Decarbonizing the Swiss cement industry
COMPLETED (2022)
How can Switzerland's cement industry reach net-zero by 2050? This technology assessment and policy study, conducted together with partners cemsuisse and Jura Cement and funded by the Swiss Federal Office of Energy (SFOE) and the Swiss Federal Office of the Environment (FOEN), first synthesised techno-economic insights of all relevant decarbonization technologies to get an overview of the state of development and costs, as well as a comparability of the options. Secondly, the regulatory framework for the realisation of the individual technologies was investigated to gain policy-relevant insights and options. Some of the findings include:
Net-zero by 2050 is achievable for the Swiss cement industry — but only with the deployment of carbon capture and storage (CCS)
The least-cost pathway combines energy efficiency, clinker substitution, alternative fuels and CCS, at around CHF 113/tCOâ‚‚ and total annual decarbonization costs of approximately CHF 300 million for the Swiss industry
Biomass combined with CCS could enable significant negative emissions at competitive costs, with potential for additional carbon dioxide removal (CDR) credit revenues
CCS faces significant deployment barriers: high additional energy demand, uncertain COâ‚‚ transport and storage infrastructure, and insufficient investment security at current carbon prices
A combination of policy instruments will be needed — including Carbon Contracts for Difference, reformed emissions trading, Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanisms, and low-carbon public procurement — alongside continued pilot projects