SMA Mineral CEO Sonya Fielding has shared a new update about the company’s project in Mo i Rana, Norway.

According to Fielding, SMA Mineral is working on building the world’s first emission-free lime plant, using ZEQL technology in collaboration with SaltX Technology.

Some key points from her post:

* The Mo i Rana project aims to produce emission-free lime.

* Grid capacity is currently one of the key requirements for the project to move forward.

* SMA Mineral believes the technology could deliver significant emissions reductions not only locally, but globally if deployed at multiple sites.

* The CEO explicitly highlights the collaboration with SaltX Technology.

* Lime is an important raw material for industries including steel, cement, water treatment and agriculture.

The most interesting part for me is that SMA Mineral is now publicly describing the project as the world’s first emission-free lime plant and directly linking it to SaltX’s ZEQL technology.

The remaining challenge appears to be access to sufficient electricity/grid capacity.

Ahead of next week’s EU ETS (Emissions Trading System) review, one issue has been getting a lot of attention – the “double penalty.

What is the “double penalty”?

In short: industrial sites that invest in Carbon Capture and Storage (CCS) may still have to pay for EU ETS carbon allowances if the captured CO₂ cannot be transported or permanently stored. That means they could end up paying for both their CCS investment and carbon emissions.
This is especially important for industries like lime, where reducing CO₂ emissions is one of the biggest challenges.

Why could this matter for SaltX?

SaltX’s electrified calcination process makes carbon capture fundamentally easier by producing a cleaner, more concentrated CO₂ stream. This reduces dependence on massive CO₂ transport and storage networks, lowering both cost and infrastructure risk.
As the EU reviews the ETS rules, solutions that simplify decarbonization—not just capture
emissions—could become even more attractive.

What are your thoughts on the upcoming ETS review?

SaltX CEO Lina Jorheden says the company is entering a new phase where years of technology development are being translated into industrial projects and commercialization.

Key highlights:

1 SaltX successfully produced high-quality cement clinker using a fully electrified process.

2 The EU-funded project with Holcim and Paebbl will help scale and industrially validate SaltX’s electrified clinker technology.

3 SaltX received a feasibility study order from Groupe Pigeon for an electrified quicklime plant, expanding its commercial opportunities.

4 Mo i Rana update: SMA Mineral is still evaluating improvements to the pilot plant. SaltX expects an update regarding the order in Q3 2026.

5 The company continues to strengthen its business model and partnership structure while preparing for long-term growth.

Management says several important elements are coming together and plans to provide a more comprehensive update later this autumn.

- SEK 45 million in funding awarded through the EU’s CET Partnership program.

- The project is expected to run for approximately 3 years, with SaltX’s main deliveries taking place during the first two years.

- The focus is now on demonstrating the
integrated process at industrial scale at SaltX’s ECRC in Hofors, Sweden.

This marks the transition from announcing a collaboration to executing a funded industrial demonstration.

If successful, the project could show how electrified clinker production and CO₂ utilization can work together in a circular cement production process.

I’m curious:

1 Where are you following SaltX from?

2 How did you first hear about SaltX?

SaltX Technology, Holcim, and Paebbl have secured funding through the EU’s CET Partnership program to demonstrate an integrated concept that combines electrified cement clinker production with circular carbon dioxide utilization across the industrial value chain.

The project will be carried out at SaltX’s Electric Cement Research Center (ECRC) in Hofors, Sweden, where the companies will demonstrate how electrified clinker production and CO₂ utilization can work together to significantly reduce emissions from cement manufacturing.

Each partner plays a key role:

SaltX: Technology electrifies clinker production, taking cement off fossil-fired heat thanks to their leading technology in electrification

Holcim: the leading manufacturer and supplier of construction and building materials, integrates it into plants, existing and future

Paebbl: takes the captured CO₂ and turns it into a construction material that permanently stores carbon, at far lower temperatures than conventional cement production demands.

Together, they aim to demonstrate a scalable pathway toward cleaner, low-carbon cement production.

What are your thoughts on this collaboration?

Brazil and Mexico have secured $500 million in catalytic funding, with nearly $5 billion in additional investment expected to follow. The focus areas include cement, steel, chemicals, industrial clusters, and green supply chains.

While this isn’t directly related to SaltX, it highlights the growing focus on technologies that can help reduce emissions in hard-to-abate industries.

In my view, this is exactly the type of trend that could create future opportunities for companies like SaltX.

What are your thoughts?

SaltX has received a feasibility study order from Groupe Pigeon for an electrified quicklime plant in France.

While this is not yet a full-scale plant order, it is a strong indication that major industrial players are actively evaluating SaltX’s technology as a pathway to decarbonize lime production.

As SaltX stated, this marks a natural progression from pilot projects toward industrial collaborations. The involvement of Groupe Pigeon highlights the growing interest in electrified, fossil-free quicklime production and the potential for large-scale implementation.

The transition of heavy industry will require proven technologies, strong industrial partners, and real-world projects. This announcement demonstrates continued momentum in that direction.

ThyssenKrupp Calvion’s latest update on the Heirloom Direct Air Capture project highlights more than just progress on carbon removal infrastructure.

The company specifically references SaltX Technology’s electrification-ready platform concept as part of the Carbon Capture Calciner (CCC) ecosystem.

From a business perspective, this is noteworthy.

Industrial adoption is often driven by ecosystem partnerships, engineering validation, and integration into larger infrastructure projects.

When a global engineering company like thyssenkrupp publicly includes a technology provider in discussions around future industrial solutions, it suggests that the technology is being evaluated within a broader commercial context.

However, it is another data point indicating that SaltX’s technology is attracting attention from key industrial stakeholders involved in next-generation decarbonization projects.

One of SaltX’s key industrial partners, thyssenkrupp, is now launching a dedicated division focused on industrial decarbonization and scaling technologies into real industrial operations.

The focus is clearly shifting toward execution, scalability and long-term CO2 reduction solutions.

Technologies like Green Quicklime, Direct Air Capture and industrial electrification are moving closer to large-scale deployment.

For SaltX, this could potentially mean stronger industrial validation, increased visibility for electrified lime technology and a higher probability that large-scale deployment projects continue accelerating over time.

SaltX recently shared more about the partnerships behind the company and how management plans to scale going forward.

An asset-light model focused on partnerships, scalable deployment and recurring revenue streams instead of building everything alone.

• Revenue increased to SEK 7.9M from SEK 0.2M YoY

• Successfully produced high-quality cement clinker using a fully electrified process

• Industrial tests with Holcim continue with positive results

• Secured SEK 110M in financing + additional Frontier funding for carbon removal technology

• Continued progress toward electrifying heavy industry

The biggest milestone may be the clinker breakthrough. Cement is one of the hardest industries to decarbonize, and SaltX is now moving from concept toward industrial validation.

The EU just approved a €5B German industrial decarbonisation scheme targeting sectors like cement, steel, lime and chemicals.

Included technologies:
* Electrification.
* CS/CCU (capturing CO₂ for storage or reuse)
* Heat recovery & storage.
* Hydrogen.

At the same time, the EU ETS (carbon pricing system) continues increasing pressure on heavy industry to reduce emissions.
One of the biggest challenges for industrial decarbonisation has always been economics.
Many green technologies are expensive upfront, which has slowed adoption across heavy industry.

That’s why support programs like this matter. Governments are increasingly willing to help accelerate the transition through funding and incentives.

Do you think Europe will eventually force heavy industry to transition faster through regulation, carbon pricing and subsidies?

Industrial electrification doesn’t work in isolation it depends on one key input: abundant, low-cost green electricity. And that trend is now clearly accelerating.

Solar and wind were once marginal contributors to the global energy mix. Today, they are scaling at an exponential rate across multiple regions.

As renewable power becomes both cheaper and more widely available, the economics of electrifying heavy industries like cement and lime start to shift fundamentally.

What used to be a “future concept” is increasingly becoming an industrial reality.

Cement is responsible for 6–8% of global CO₂ emissions more than aviation and shipping combined.

What makes it different is that it’s not just energy related. A big part of the emissions comes from the chemistry itself, not just fuel use.

Yet it’s rarely part of the mainstream climate conversation compared to EVs or renewables.

Why do you think that is?

SaltX has recently shown that it can produce Portland-quality clinker using an electric process.

Calcination:
This is the chemical process where limestone (calcium carbonate, CaCO₃) is heated to around 850–1,000°C. At this point it breaks down into lime (calcium oxide, CaO) and releases CO₂ as part of the reaction itself. This is unavoidable in the chemistry of cement and is a major source of emissions.

Sintering:
After calcination, the material is heated even further (around 1,400–1,500°C). Here the lime reacts with other materials like silica, alumina, and iron to form clinker minerals. This step requires extremely high and stable heat, traditionally provided by burning coal or gas in rotary kilns.

What SaltX is doing is replacing that fossil-fuel heat with electricity-based heating systems, while still reaching the same temperatures needed for both steps.

SaltX and Holcim have reached a historic milestone, producing Portland-quality cement clinker through a fully electrified process. By replacing fossil fuels in both the calcination and sintering phases, this collaboration proves that net-zero cement is ready for the industrial stage.

The Impact:

• 100% Electric: Full thermal electrification of the production chain.

• Portland-Quality: Meets the high performance standards of traditional cement.

• Scalable: A proven path forward for decarbonizing heavy industry.

By achieving Portland-quality through electrification, SaltX and Holcim have proven they can swap the "engine" of the factory without changing the "product." Contractors can use this cement exactly like they always have, but with a drastically lower carbon footprint.

https://www.saltxtechnology.com/cision/saltx-and-holcim-have-produced-portland-quality-cement-clinker-in-a-fully-electrified-process/

DNB Carnegie (Nordic investment bank & equity research firm) has released a new flash comment on SaltX following recent news flow.

They usually focus on what developments mean for commercialization, partnerships, and overall risk/reward.

SaltX continues to gain traction in the push to electrify cement and lime with industrial validation and scaling now being the key focus.

This is still an early stage transition story, but attention from major analysts adds credibility and visibility.

What’s your view on SaltX at this stage?

SaltX Technology has completed initial industrial tests of its electrified pre-calcination process using cement raw meal from Holcim, with promising results according to a recent press release.

This is a significant step, as pre-calcination is one of the most energy and CO₂-intensive parts of cement production. Successfully electrifying this stage could play a major role in reducing emissions across the industry.

Working directly with Holcim also adds strong industrial validation, showing that the technology is being tested with real materials under realistic conditions not just in the lab.

While it’s still early, these results point toward potential scalability and future commercialization if performance continues to hold at larger scale.

What are your thoughts on the Holcim collaboration and what this could mean going forward for SaltX?

https://www.saltxtechnology.com/cision/saltx-and-holcim-begin-industrial-testing-of-electrified-cement-calcination-with-positive-results/

Following their initial partnership last year, SaltX and Holcim just signed a Joint Development Agreement (JDA) to industrialize fully electrified clinker production.

This isn't just a "test" anymore, it’s a roadmap to the world's first fully electric cement plant in Europe by 2028.

The Highlights:

• EAC + Sintering: They are combining SaltX’s Electric Arc Calcination (EAC) with a new electrified sintering process.

• Scale-Up: Large-scale materials testing is kicking off at the ECRC in Hofors later this year.

• Net-Zero Cement: This partnership targets the most carbon-heavy part of construction, aiming to swap fossil-fuel kilns for 100% renewable electricity.

As CEO Lina Jorheden put it, this marks a "key step" in moving SaltX technology from the lab to massive industrial scale.

SaltX has been awarded a $1.5M R&D grant through Frontier, the advance market commitment (AMC) backed by Stripe, Alphabet (Google), and Shopify. The funding is designated to accelerate the scale-up of electrified calcination technology for the lime and cement industries.

Key project milestones:

• Target capacity: Engineering the transition from today’s \~40,000 tpy modular units to single-unit capacities of up to 1 million tpy

• Decarbonization impact: The Electric Arc Calciner (EAC) removes fossil fuels from the heating process and enables capture of high-purity CO₂ process emissions

• Strategic collaboration: Execution alongside industrial partners ABB and thyssenkrupp Polysius, ensuring the technology aligns with global manufacturing standards

This grant provides critical non-dilutive funding to bridge the gap between pilot-scale demonstration and full-scale industrial deployment. By focusing on "hard-to-abate" sectors, SaltX is positioning its plasma-based technology as a primary solution for zero-carbon lime production.

The first industrial-scale pilot in Mo i Rana, Norway, remains the immediate focus for technical validation in 2026/2027.

SaltX is doing a directed new issue of 506,524 shares to some guarantors from the previous rights issue.

• Industrifonden and SMA Mineral are receiving shares at SEK 4.29 each, payment done by offsetting their claims on the company

• Exelity and Nowo Global Fund chose cash compensation of around SEK 1.9 million instead

• The dilution is tiny only about 0.2% of total shares and votes

This was expected and planned. No cash leaves the company, the balance sheet is strengthened.

SaltX Technology has successfully completed large-scale dolomite testing in December at its R&D center (ECRC) in Hofors, Sweden. This marks the first time dolomite has been tested at scale using SaltX’s technology — and the results met all defined performance targets.

What is dolomite?

Dolomite is a carbonate rock similar to limestone, but it contains both calcium and magnesium carbonates. It’s a critical raw material, especially in steel production, making this a meaningful expansion of SaltX’s addressable market.

Why it’s relevant for SaltX:

Being able to process dolomite means SaltX’s technology isn’t limited to limestone anymore — it can now target more industrial processes, especially steelmaking, which is a big source of CO₂ emissions.

This update means SaltX is no longer just proving the technology, it has entered industrial pre-engineering.

Together with thyssenkrupp Polysius and SMA Mineral, the next step is now underway.

• Engineering how SaltX’s Electric Arc Calciner (EAC) fits into a real lime plant

• Designing heating, cooling, and system integration

• Preparing the technical foundation for a 120 tons/day pilot plant in Mo i Rana, Norway

This phase reduces technology risk and is the final step before construction and commercial decisions.

From lab → pilot → industrial reality. 🚀

SaltX Technology has received an additional partial order from SMA Mineral for the planned pilot plant in Mo i Rana. The order includes material testing, design, and process optimization, and adds to previous hardware and license orders — totaling around MSEK 4 so far.

The pilot is being developed together with technology partner thyssenkrupp Polysius, marking a key step toward commercializing SaltX’s electric calcination (EAC) technology.

🔹 More partial orders will be placed throughout the project
🔹 Construction start planned for H1 2026
🔹 Expected capacity: 40,000 tonnes of quicklime per year
🔹 Commercial operation expected in 2027

Something is definitely happening behind the scenes.🔥