Vicat accelerates the decarbonization of the cement industry in France
Photo: Xeuilley cement plant (Credit Vicat France)
The Vicat Group accelerates industrial decarbonisation in France with two alternative energy projects at two of its cement plants, supported by the French Ecological Transition Agency (ADEME) and industrial partners. At the Xeuilley plant, where already 100% of alternative fuels are used at the main burner, an electrified hot-gas generator will be installed in partnership with the Lille-based startup NOC for an investment of about €7.3 million and 15 MW capacity to safe 12,000 tpa of CO2. At its Montalieu-Vercieu site, Vicat will deploy a high-temperature electrolyzer with a capacity of 1 MWe to generate 0.6 tpd hydrogen. This project (ADEME IDH2), in partnership with GENVIA and EDF, will combine the hydrogen with CO2 captured at the plant by the VAIA project to produce e-fuels (synthetic fuels).
The two projects will strengthen Vicat’s energy sovereignty and low-carbon strategy at Xeuilley and Montalieu-Vercieu. The heat requirements for the clinker and cement production are met at three different temperature levels: at 200°C for drying of raw materials and 1000°C for the thermal activation of clays, and at higher temperatures >1500°C for the clinkerization. While for the lower temperatures, electrical solutions are already available (heating elements, partnership with NOC), for higher temperatures, technologies such as plasma torches or hydrogen flames are under development. VICAT is developing a circular economy model that benefits everyone and innovates daily to reduce the environmental impact of cement production.
https://www.vicat.fr/actualites/vicat-accelerela-decarbonation-industrielle-en-france
 |
Copyright © 2026 The Authors. Published by Tech Science Press. This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited. |
