Cement decarbonization with ammonia and hydrogen: HARMONI project tests fuel switch and grid balancing

An EU funded project called HARMONI is testing whether cement plants can replace fossil fuels with a blend of ammonia and hydrogen. The goal is to cut the roughly 7% of global CO2 emissions tied to cement production while also helping balance the electricity grid by using surplus wind and solar power. Imperial College London researchers will run a full life cycle assessment to check whether the approach actually reduces emissions without shifting the problem elsewhere. The project brings together 12 partners and almost 8 million euros in EU funding. After lab tests, the team will build a digital twin of a real cement plant in Alicante, Spain, and model the fuel mix, water use, costs, and social impacts. They plan to deliver public recommendations for industry and policymakers by August 2029, with results that could also apply to steel, glass, and ceramics. For anyone tracking industrial decarbonization, the key details to watch are ammonia supply, NOx control, and whether cement kilns can ramp their fuel mix quickly enough to act as an intelligent energy hub.