Holcim has ordered a new phase of development and testing of SaltX Technology’s electrified clinker-production process, SaltX Technology said on 3 November 2026. The programme extends work towards a fully electrified pilot facility in Europe, but does not confirm commercial-scale deployment or a final investment decision.
The order follows clinker-production tests completed in April 2026. SaltX, a Swedish technology developer, will carry out additional processing and materials tests, while Holcim, a Swiss building materials group, will assess the resulting clinker after grinding for its suitability in cement and concrete.
The programme will also cover process optimisation and validation of clinker quality for commercial applications. The companies are aiming to demonstrate fully electrified cement production at pilot scale in Europe by 2028, subject to successful technological validation and subsequent investment decisions.
Testing electric clinker production
The process under development combines electric calcination and electric sintering to replace the fossil-fuel heating technologies conventionally used in cement plants. SaltX’s technology uses electrically generated high-temperature heat in processes that have traditionally relied on coal, petroleum coke, natural gas or other fuels.
Conventional cement manufacturing requires temperatures of approximately 1,450°C during clinker formation and is one of the most energy-intensive industrial production processes. Electrifying process heating could substantially reduce emissions from fossil-fuel combustion, particularly where electricity comes from low-carbon generation. Carbon dioxide released chemically during limestone calcination would still require additional mitigation measures to achieve near-zero overall production emissions.
Holcim and SaltX signed a joint development agreement in March 2026, setting technical workstreams for electric calcination and electric sintering. The current order adds further technical development; neither company has announced a final investment decision for the pilot facility.
Costs and commercialisation remain open
SaltX said its immediate financial contribution from the programme would be limited and did not disclose the contract value. The companies have not disclosed a commercial production timetable, the final equipment configuration or the estimated capital cost of full-scale deployment.
European cement manufacturers face pressure to reduce industrial emissions, modernise production technology and protect competitiveness under the EU Emissions Trading System. Electric clinker processing could offer an alternative for manufacturers considering kiln modernisation, plant electrification and low-carbon cement production.
Commercial viability will depend on electricity prices, grid capacity, equipment reliability, achievable production throughput and the quality of final cement products. In Central and Southeast Europe, where cement production frequently relies on carbon-intensive fuels and electricity systems, the technologies could eventually affect capital-investment planning and industrial-energy procurement.
The extended programme is intended to establish whether electric sintering and calcination can be combined in an industrially viable clinker-production process. Successful validation could give Holcim another potential route to reducing emissions from one of its most energy-intensive manufacturing activities.
