How Heidelberg Materials use Safran to deliver the world’s first full-scale CCS plant in the cement industry.
A Project With Global Significance
In Brevik, Norway, Heidelberg Materials is building the world’s first full-scale carbon capture plant for the cement industry. Once operational, the facility will capture 400 000 tonnes of CO₂ per year - half of the factory’s total emissions.
The project is part of the Norwegian government’s Longship initiative and marks a major step toward a more sustainable construction sector. The project has made headlines far beyond Norway’s borders. International media - from Reuters to The Guardian - have highlighted Brevik CCS as a breakthrough in industrial climate action. Many see it as a glimpse into the future of low-carbon cement production.
“This project is the beginning of a new era for the cement industry. We simply can’t become emission-free without carbon capture,” says Anders Petersen, Senior Project Manager at Heidelberg Materials. Anders was responsible for the contract with the carbon capture supplier and later took on a broader role as overall project manager for Brevik CCS. He worked alongside Peter Moberg, Senior Manager at Metier, who served as lead planner and project control manager throughout the execution phase. Together, they formed a core part of the team guiding this pioneering project from concept to commissioning.
Video: Watch drone footage from the construction site. Credit: Heidelberg Materials
Complex Setup - And The Need For Control
Managing a pioneering project like this is no small task. With parallel contracts and challenging interfaces between contractors, one thing was clear: the project needed tools that could bring everything together - offering structure, flexibility, and reliable reporting.
We built one main schedule that integrated everything. That was demanding, but essential. Safran Project made it possible.
Peter Moberg, Senior Planner and Project Control Manager at Metier
Flexible Planning In Safran Project
Safran Project became the backbone of the team’s planning efforts. Subcontractors worked in their own systems (like MS Project and Excel), and their schedules were exported and stitched together into one Integrated Detail Schedule (IDS) in Safran.
Key features they found especially useful included:
- Safrans scope control and Baseline features
- Historical data and change order register
- System reports such as Gantt charts, deviation reports and Histogram/S-Curves
We created a unified reporting package in Safran that we used for everything - from internal meetings to reporting to the Ministry of Energy. It gave us consistency and trust in our data.
Peter Moberg
More Than Control - True Insight
But Safran didn’t just support reporting - it also enabled better decisions. The planning tool helped the team identify delays, understand root causes, and take timely action to stay on track.
“We could identify when things were moving too slowly and ask the right questions to the contractors. That led to concrete improvements,” says Peter.
Structured Risk Management With Safran Risk
Alongside detailed planning, structured risk management became a key pillar of the project. Because the project received public funding, uncertainty analysis was required. Safran Risk was chosen for its functionality - and its seamless integration with the project plan.
Over time, the team moved from separate cost and schedule analyses to integrated risk analysis using one common model.
One of the features they valued most was the ability to analyse uncertainty across multiple milestones. “That helped us tremendously,” says Peter. “We had contractual milestones with our contractor and separate ones tied to the state funding agreement. Safran Risk gave us a clear picture of how likely we were to hit each of them - and how that changed over time.”
This insight not only supported internal decision-making but also strengthened the team’s ability to communicate confidently with stakeholders. “Using the full schedule as the basis for risk analysis gave us credibility - internally and externally,” Peter explains.
Reports That Matter
Clear communication was essential - especially when presenting risk data to stakeholders. Safran Risk offered strong visual tools that helped the team not only understand but also communicate complex uncertainty.
“The tornado charts and distribution graphs were easy to understand, and helped us identify the real risk drivers”
Peter Moberg
Lessons Learned: What Worked - And What Could Improve
No project is perfect. Along the way, the team made valuable discoveries about what worked - and where things could be improved.
✅ What worked well:
- Smooth data flow between schedule and risk.
- Responsive and knowledgeable support from Safran’s team.
- Clear, user-friendly reports - even for non-technical stakeholders.
- High flexibility in handling complex data.
🔧 What could be improved:
They would have preferred to bring all contractors into a unified planning setup from day one - working directly in Safran Project within the same shared database. Instead, subcontractors worked in separate tools like Excel or MS Project, and their schedules had to be imported and integrated manually. “If everyone had used the same system from the start, it would have saved us a lot of time and made coordination much easier,” Peter says.
This experience has led the team to recommend a common planning platform for all parties involved in future projects.
Peter also adds another area for improvement. Importing uncertainty data was a bit manual: “It was time-consuming to get duration uncertainty from contractors. It would help if customers using Safran Risk also had access to the SRA module in Project,” he explains.
Confidence In Project Delivery
Despite the complexity and technical ambition, the Safran tools gave the project a solid framework for planning, follow-up and communication - with room for quick reactions when needed.
Safran has been an important tool throughout this project. We’re very satisfied - but also mindful of the lessons we’ll bring into future projects
Anders Petersen
💡 Advice from the team:
For those planning similar large-scale or high-risk projects, here are their key takeaways:
- Use the entire schedule as the basis for your risk analysis - not a simplified version.
- Get all parties working in one unified schedule setup.
- Prioritize training and joint planning meetings early in the project.
Do You Want More Insight on this Project?
Join us on September 11th, when Project Control Manager Peter joins us for a webinar to dive even deeper into what they did. There is time for Q&A from the audience, so bring your questions!
