A new plan for Heracles to conduct FEED studies along with Air Liquide Engineering and Construction has been announced. Heracles is a member of the Holcim group and this project will be carried out for the CO2 capturing, liquefaction, storage and finally the dispatch facilities.

It is well-known that OLYMPUS is one of the largest CCS projects within Europe and it is clear that including HERACLES plant’s in the area of Milaki will have significant benefits. These benefits include the HERACLES plant's CO2 emissions to both capture and store 1 million tons of CO2 on an annual basis. It was back in 2023 that this project was selected for a grant from the EU Innovation Fund and now it is scheduled to be ready to enter full operation in 2029.

On the other hand, HERACLES group is a leader when it comes to sustainable building materials in Greece and this group recently chose Air Liquide to work with. This collaboration was decided on in order to upgrade and equip the Milaki plant with both innovative and fully integrated systems for CO2 capture. The method that this technology utilises for CO2 capture involves oxygen enrichment, as well as cryogenic separation. Once it is captured, the CO2 will then be liquefied and transported by sea to the Greek offshore sequestration facility, which is located in Prinos, which is based within the northern part of the Aegean Sea.

The agreement which has now been made, highlights a crucial milestone which has been achieved towards the FID (final investment decision) of the project. Moreover, the purpose of the FEED study will be to supply a detailed blueprint, which will be used to address technical considerations, whilst also defining the layout, estimating the investment cost for the design and finally it will be used to figure out operation along with innovative integration of the carbon capture plant into the existing production facilities. On top of this, it will also create a pathway for the following equipment procuring and finally, construction phases.

CEO of HERACLES Group, Dimitris Chanis, commented, "This collaboration with Air Liquide embodies a shared vision of two industry leaders that are committed to innovation and environmental responsibility. For HERACLES, OLYMPUS CCS project is a key lever to accelerate our net zero journey. We are committed to driving forward the industry’s decarbonization and energy transition to a more sustainable future."