SaltX Technology and Holcim have expanded their partnership through a new development agreement focused on delivering one of Europe’s first fully electric cement plants by 2028.
The agreement formalises the companies’ shared ambition to electrify the clinker production process and builds on Holcim’s 2025 investment in SaltX, which made the construction materials group one of SaltX’s major shareholders.
SaltX chief executive officer Lina Jorheden said the strengthened partnership “confirms the potential of our technology and marks a key step in developing electrified clinker production.” She said that combining SaltX’s technology with Holcim’s industrial expertise will support the development of large‑scale electrified cement manufacturing.
The collaboration is centred on a joint technical and commercial roadmap designed to move electrified cement production from pilot‑scale testing to industrial deployment. A key focus is the electrification of calcination, a major source of emissions in clinker manufacturing. SaltX’s Electric Arc Calciner, which uses plasma burners to heat cement raw meal, is central to this effort. Following earlier successful trials, the next phase will involve large‑scale materials and plasma testing in 2026 at the Electric Calcination Research Center in Hofors. These tests aim to validate the technology’s performance at a scale suitable for industrial operations.
In parallel, the companies are developing a fully electrified clinker manufacturing process that integrates electrified calcination with electric sintering. This work includes a comprehensive materials testing program to ensure clinker quality and process stability. The technologies under development can be applied independently or combined, offering flexibility for both retrofitting existing plants and designing new electrified facilities.
Holcim’s head of operational excellence Ram Muthu said the project had strategic importance. He said SaltX’s technology is “an additional lever to decarbonise the cement manufacturing process,” and that the partnership will help Holcim produce near‑zero cement at scale to meet growing customer demand for sustainable construction.
