SMA Mineral AB
Established in 1980, SMA Mineral is a Swedish limestone provider which today operates in five countries.
ID: 108249250990-29
Lobbying Activity
Response to Industrial Decarbonisation Accelerator Act
7 Jul 2025
Ensuring Regulatory Clarity for Industrial CCU SMA Mineral is advancing detailed plans to decarbonise quicklime production by building an electrified novel lime kiln at its facility in Mo i Rana, Norway, in partnership with SaltX Technology. The ZEQL (Zero Emission Quicklime) project, co-funded by Enova with NOK 287 million, aims to demonstrate a low-carbon process powered entirely by renewable electricity and designed for high-efficiency CO capture. The facility is expected to be operational by 2027. As part of the broader industrial symbiosis in Mo Industrial Park, SMA also plans to scale up ZEQL into an integrated e-fuel production cluster using 240,000 tonnes of captured CO annually from lime production as feedstock. As in all lime production, CO is unavoidably released during calcinationthe chemical reaction separating CO from limestone. This process-related CO is of high purity and suitable for direct use in e-fuel or material applications. Moreover, burnt lime gradually reabsorbs CO during use, a process known as recarbonisation. While not yet accounted for in standard emission frameworks (e.g., GHG Protocol, EPD, Scope 13), this uptake further reduces the net climate impact of lime-based products. The ZEQL system offers a closed-loop, low-carbon solution with strong lifecycle performance. However, existing regulation creates uncertainty regarding long-term eligibility for CCU applications. Although SMAs process is currently eligible under RED III until 2041, the regulatory status of captured industrial CO, such as from lime production, for use in renewable fuels beyond that date remains uncertain. This lack of clarity risks disqualifying even high-purity, non-combustion CO from low-carbon systems, despite their strong climate performance. The inconsistency between instruments like the EU ETS and the forthcoming IDAA, which aim to incentivise CO capture and reuse, and restrictions in other legislation creates barriers for CCU deployment in hard-to-abate sectors. Without predictable rules, investment is delayed and viable business models are undermined. We therefore recommend that the Industrial Decarbonisation Accelerator Act: - Ensure alignment across EU instruments IDAA, ETS, RED III, FuelEU Aviation to avoid conflicting signals and support long-term investments in CCU infrastructure. - Recognise the specific climate value of CO from lime production and clarify that it should remain eligible for CCU applications beyond 2041, including for renewable fuels, particularly if it is captured within a low-carbon production system, such as an electrified kiln powered by renewable energy, due to the fact that it: o originates from unavoidable process emissions; o stems from a product with inherent recarbonisation potential, meaning the lime gradually reabsorbs CO during use, further reducing the net climate impact. A consistent, performance-based framework is essential to realise the potential of CCU in hard-to-abate sectors. The ZEQL project demonstrates that industrial decarbonisation is possible if EU regulation rewards actual climate benefit over source typology.
Read full response7 Jul 2025
Ensuring Regulatory Clarity for Industrial CCU SMA Mineral is advancing detailed plans to decarbonise quicklime production by building an electrified novel lime kiln at its facility in Mo i Rana, Norway, in partnership with SaltX Technology. The ZEQL (Zero Emission Quicklime) project, co-funded by Enova with NOK 287 million, aims to demonstrate a low-carbon process powered entirely by renewable electricity and designed for high-efficiency CO capture. The facility is expected to be operational by 2027. As part of the broader industrial symbiosis in Mo Industrial Park, SMA also plans to scale up ZEQL into an integrated e-fuel production cluster using 240,000 tonnes of captured CO annually from lime production as feedstock. As in all lime production, CO is unavoidably released during calcinationthe chemical reaction separating CO from limestone. This process-related CO is of high purity and suitable for direct use in e-fuel or material applications. Moreover, burnt lime gradually reabsorbs CO during use, a process known as recarbonisation. While not yet accounted for in standard emission frameworks (e.g., GHG Protocol, EPD, Scope 13), this uptake further reduces the net climate impact of lime-based products. The ZEQL system offers a closed-loop, low-carbon solution with strong lifecycle performance. However, existing regulation creates uncertainty regarding long-term eligibility for CCU applications. Although SMAs process is currently eligible under RED III until 2041, the regulatory status of captured industrial CO, such as from lime production, for use in renewable fuels beyond that date remains uncertain. This lack of clarity risks disqualifying even high-purity, non-combustion CO from low-carbon systems, despite their strong climate performance. The inconsistency between instruments like the EU ETS and the forthcoming IDAA, which aim to incentivise CO capture and reuse, and restrictions in other legislation creates barriers for CCU deployment in hard-to-abate sectors. Without predictable rules, investment is delayed and viable business models are undermined. We therefore recommend that the Industrial Decarbonisation Accelerator Act: - Ensure alignment across EU instruments IDAA, ETS, RED III, FuelEU Aviation to avoid conflicting signals and support long-term investments in CCU infrastructure. - Recognise the specific climate value of CO from lime production and clarify that it should remain eligible for CCU applications beyond 2041, including for renewable fuels, particularly if it is captured within a low-carbon production system, such as an electrified kiln powered by renewable energy, due to the fact that it: a) originates from unavoidable process emissions; b) stems from a product with inherent recarbonisation potential, meaning the lime gradually reabsorbs CO during use, further reducing the net climate impact. A consistent, performance-based framework is essential to realise the potential of CCU in hard-to-abate sectors. The ZEQL project demonstrates that industrial decarbonisation is possible if EU regulation rewards actual climate benefit over source typology.
Read full responseResponse to Carbon capture utilisation and storage deployment
31 Aug 2023
SMA Mineral has developed a new technology, making it possible to produce clean quicklime with the use of renewable energy, while at the same time capturing CO2. Our technology enables the worlds first fully electrified, emission-free quicklime production. The captured CO2 can then be used as a raw material in new products. We agree with the need for an increased focus on industrial carbon management in Europe and the Commissions proposed elements for its upcoming industrial carbon management strategy especially as regards exploring the role of industrial carbon removals in EU climate policies, exploring coordinated EU and Member State funding in industrial carbon management projects that leverage private investment in solutions for long-term decarbonisation and CO2 use. proposing storage infrastructure targets for 2040 and 2050 to de-risk and better guide investments in the emerging market for industrial carbon management solutions, the need for the EU to identify regulatory needs for emerging CO2 transport and storage infrastructure, SMA Mineral intends to take responsibility for our own carbon footprint and is prepared to invest in new solutions which might revolutionize the lime industry. A developed EU regulatory framework for industrial carbon management could support these ambitions and thus help to circulate carbon which today is released into the atmosphere. Therefore, we also believe it is time to clarify the role of CCUS technologies in hard-to-abate sectors and the long-term classification of CO2 emerging from processes like lime production, when it is captured and stored/used, not least after 2040.
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