MPA Warns CCUS Delays Threaten UK Infrastructure Delivery

Why It Matters

Cement emissions are a hard‑to‑abate source; delays risk missing climate targets and stall critical infrastructure projects, raising costs and increasing reliance on imports.

Key Takeaways

• CCUS could slash cement CO2 by 75% by 2035.
• Potential annual emissions cut: up to 3.8 Mt CO₂.
• Delays risk breaching legally binding UK Carbon Budgets.
• Imports may rise if domestic decarbonisation stalls.

Pulse Analysis

The United Kingdom’s cement and concrete industry, responsible for roughly 7 percent of national greenhouse‑gas output, faces a tightening regulatory landscape as the government enforces legally binding Carbon Budgets. While the sector has already achieved a 63 percent emissions decline since 1990, the remaining process emissions from clinker production are largely unavoidable without carbon capture, utilisation and storage (CCUS). The Mineral Products Association (MPA) warns that any slowdown in deploying CCUS could turn climate compliance into a bottleneck for the country’s major infrastructure programmes.

8 million tonnes of annual reductions. 5 million new homes, expanded transport networks, energy grids and digital infrastructure while staying within the nation’s climate targets. In monetary terms, the avoided emissions translate to roughly $400 million in carbon‑pricing credits at current market rates. The commercial stakes are high.

Delayed CCUS roll‑out not only threatens compliance penalties but also raises the likelihood of importing higher‑carbon cement, eroding the UK’s competitive edge and inflating project costs. Investors are therefore watching policy signals closely; accelerated funding mechanisms and clear permitting pathways could unlock billions of pounds in private capital for the sector. For developers, securing low‑carbon cement early will become a differentiator, while suppliers that lag may find their market share shrinking as sustainability criteria tighten across public‑sector contracts.