Investing in the energy transition, investing in the future
Vision
The Group’s consistent financial performance provides the resources it needs to finance large-scale projects and realize its long-term vision. This vision includes the transition to low-carbon industry, both in terms of its own activities and in terms of support for its industrial customers.
Industry, particularly heavy industry, is a major emitter of carbon dioxide, accounting for around 20% of global CO2 emissions. To achieve carbon neutrality, there must therefore be a drastic and rapid reduction of these emissions. To contribute to this vital decarbonization, Air Liquide allocates nearly half of its investment decisions to key projects that will contribute to the fight against global warming. And because it strongly believes in the power of collaboration, Air Liquide is establishing various partnerships in a wide range of sectors, particularly those with the highest emissions and that are hardest to abate. Working alongside its customers, the Group is investing significant resources to accelerate the transition to a low-carbon industry.
19 major projects that will support the energy transition are being developed by the Group in Europe
Action
As part of its ADVANCE strategic plan, Air Liquide is committed to supporting its industrial customers in decarbonizing their activities through a portfolio of technological solutions. 2023 saw a significant increase in this dynamic with strategic investments and key partnerships. For instance, the Group signed an agreement to decarbonize the Belgian plant of the Swiss company Holcim, one of the world’s leading cement manufacturers, using its proprietary technology, Cryocap™. Developed by Air Liquide, the Cryocap™ process captures CO2 by liquefying it through cryogenics. This technology will enable the cement plant to reduce its CO2 emissions by 1.1 million tonnes every year.
Using the same technology, Air Liquide will help transform one of EQIOM’s cement plants in France into Europe’s first carbon-neutral cement plant by 2028. The project, known as K6, has received funding of 150 million euros from the European Innovation Fund and aims to capture nearly 8 million tonnes of CO2 during the first 10 years of operation.
This Cryocap™ technology was used for the first time in 2015 in Port-Jérôme in Normandy, on the Group’s largest hydrogen production site in France.