site.btaANRAV.beta Pilot Project Opens in Devnya Cement Plant

The ANRAV.beta pilot project, part of a large-scale carbon capture and storage project at the Devnya Cement plant, was launched on Tuesday, the Innovation Ministry said in a press release. 

ANRAV.beta envisages the construction of a pilot plant for carbon emission capture. The project is the first investment step in the company's strategy to decarbonise its cement products. In this first stage, a small-scale model of a carbon capture plant will be developed in order to test the innovative technology. Analysis of the data from the planned tests will help to validate key parameters and technical aspects of the CO2 capture process. The data will be used for the future design of a full-scale emission capture plant, namely the ANRAV CCUS project. The tests will take place in mid-2024 in a plant fully integrated into the existing production heat exchange tower of the plant. ANRAV.beta is part of the large-scale ANRAV project, which is the first CO2 capture and storage project in Eastern Europe to be approved by the European Commission for funding under the EU Innovation Fund.

The ceremony was attended by company directors from Germany and Bulgaria, the project managers, and Innovation Minister Milena Stoycheva.

"This particular investment makes Varna and Northeast Bulgaria a leader in green sustainable projects for the development of mechatronics, clean and circular technologies. Through this project, other foreign investors will recognize Bulgaria as a place with potential and capacity for research and development, where the commercialization of new technologies is supported," Stoycheva said. She noted that her ministry's mission is to transform Bulgaria as a place for new technologies and green investments, to encourage companies to focus on such innovative projects.