Latvia's Prime Minister Evika Siliņa was among the guests when SCHWENK hosted an open day at its cement plant in Brocēni using a pilot-scale carbon capture unit from Capsol Technologies among others.

The event drew high-level attendees, including parliamentary secretaries Jurģis Miezainis and Jānis Irbe, the Mayor of Saldus region Māris Zusts and representatives from the German Embassy in addition to Evika Siliņa, emphasizing the growing regulatory and political momentum for carbon capture and storage (CCUS) in Latvia and across Europe.

End of May, the first CO₂ was successfully captured at the Brocēni cement plant using a CapsolGo® demonstration unit based on the proven Hot Potassium Carbonate (HPC) process. Capsol's technology offers lower energy consumption with higher CO₂ concentration and easy plant integration with no need for external steam supply.

The unit achieved high CO₂ capture rate and guests including the Prime Minister observed captured CO₂ being converted into dry ice, illustrating the potential for a full carbon value chain in the region.

"Carbon capture plays a critical role in decarbonizing hard-to-abate industries like cement. CapsolGo® is a real-world demonstration unit that partners de-risk projects and accelerate deployment. The strong regulatory support seen in Latvia is exactly the type of momentum needed to scale CCS across Europe," said Cato Christiansen, CTO of Capsol Technologies.

This collaboration builds on Capsol Technologies' proven track record in the cement sector, following successful application at Akmenė cement plant, and aligns with SCHWENK's commitment to investing in carbon-neutral cement across the Baltics and Scandinavia. The event demonstrated both technological innovation and the cement industry's readiness to lead Europe's decarbonization efforts.