A consortium including Cairn, UCD, Kilsaran, and Ecocem has secured €50,000 in funding from Construct Innovate, Ireland's national Construction Technology Centre.
The funding will be used to validate an innovative low-carbon cement capable of significantly cutting the country's CO2 emissions from the construction sector.
Cement is responsible for about 8% of CO2 emissions globally and Ecocem said this initiative represents a significant step toward cutting Ireland's emissions rapidly and cost-effectively.
Ecocem's new ACT technology contains up to 70% less CO2 than traditional cement.
The company is currently constructing the first production line for ACT at its new €50m facility in Dunkirk in France, which is planned to begin commercial operation in late 2026. This is part of a wider €220m investment programme by the company.
The project announced today involves a full-scale demonstration project using ACT technology, alongside an independent technical assessment at UCD.
The demonstrator will showcase an ultra-low carbon binder in an Irish context at scale for the first time.
Ecocem said the outcomes will provide Cairn with proof of buildability and carbon reduction, Ecocem with validation of ACT technology, and Kilsaran with a new low-carbon product stream.
John Reddy, Director of Concrete Technology Deployment at Ecocem, said that ACT has the potential to be a true game changer for the Irish construction market; delivering up to 70% lower CO₂ emissions compared to traditional cement, without compromising on performance or cost.
"Having already been successfully deployed in markets such as the UK and France, we are delighted to bring this innovation to Ireland and to see it independently validated in a real-world setting," Mr Reddy said.
"This milestone reinforces our confidence in ACT as a scalable solution to support a rapid and cost-effective transition to low-carbon construction," he added.
Thomas Lowry, Senior Technical Manager at Cairn, said that low carbon, scalable cement replacements are a vital piece of the decarbonisation journey that every stakeholder involved in the Built Environment must embark on, and embrace.
"At Cairn, we're always looking at sustainable innovations and so, are delighted to be part of this industry-leading group further investigating the viability and potential of ACT. This research further strengthens our pipeline of Carbon reduction initiatives under review - initiatives that are essential for us to meet our Sustainability goals to 2030 and beyond," he added.
Keith Goodwin, Associate Director at Kilsaran, said this project represents an exciting time in the Irish construction industry.
"While there are a variety of low carbon concrete technologies in various stages of development, the introduction of ACT technology on the ground in Ireland in the short term is a significant progression towards the carbon reduction goals of the sector," he added.
