Zero-carbon cement manufacturer Sublime Systems received a $46.7 million investment tax credit Jan. 16 from the U.S. Department of Energy and the Internal Revenue Service, allowing the firm to move forward on construction of a $150-million cement plant in Holyoke, Mass.

Sublime has signed an agreement to acquire 16 acres in Holyoke, and the plant will be powered by hydroelectricity, helping Sublime meet its zero-carbon goals for its fully electrified cement manufacturing process.

Sublime’s cement is produced through a process first developed at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Traditional cement is made from limestone, which is converted into clinker and then into cement. This process releases carbon dioxide into the atmosphere. Cement production accounts for an estimated 8% of global carbon emissions today.

Sublime’s electrochemical process uses electrical energy to break down feedstocks into their constituent elements. It then reassembles the components into cement. Sublime’s cement is made without limestone or fossil-fuel-based kilns. The company’s cement-making technology can be powered by renewable sources, such as hydroelectric power, and the processes allow electrons to break down the ingredients at room temperatures, rather than the traditional method of heating limestone and clay, mixed with iron ore or fly ash, in a kiln up to 2,700°F. The final cement product can serve a drop-in replacement for Portland cement on construction projects, with similar performance characteristics. 

“This investment builds an even more resilient path towards scaling manufacturing in the U.S.,” said Joe Hicken, vice president of business development and policy at Sublime, who helped secure the DOE grant. “We really excited about the energy in the space and the investments and how we plan to onshore manufacturing in a space that, right now about 20% of the materials we use are imported from abroad. It’s a way for us to manufacture more locally.” 

Sublime’s cement has been used in concrete on projects by contractor Turner Construction in the Boston area and the contractor reported it was delivered in ready-mix trucks just like on its other jobs. 

Hicken said that Sublime is still in early estimates for the plant’s costs and its total engineering cost could change before construction begins later this year or early in 2026, with a completion date set for 2027 or 2028.

Holyoke is colloquially referred to as The Paper City, having produced 80% of the nation’s writing paper in the late 19^th century. The industrial site that Sublime is planning for its future plant
is a property that formerly housed paper mills.