Meta Backs Fortera's First Commercial CO₂-to-Cement Plant

Fortera and Mississippi Lime Company have picked Ste. Genevieve, Missouri, for the first commercial plant that turns captured lime emissions into cement. It is planned to make 300,000 tons of ReAct cement a year. Meta has signed a multi-year deal tied to about 200,000 tons, giving Fortera revenue visibility to pursue financing.

The two announcements came one week apart. Fortera and MLC confirmed the site on October 22, 2026, and Fortera and Meta announced the certificate deal on October 29, 2026.

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What Is the Ste. Genevieve Plant and Why Does It Matter?

The Fortera Cement Plant would turn 300,000 tons of lime-kiln CO₂ output into cement each year at MLC's Ste. Genevieve site. Fortera, a low-carbon cement maker based in San Jose, California, would build it next to MLC's kilns.

Fortera's patented ReCarb process captures CO₂ released during lime calcination. It then mineralizes that CO₂ into ReAct, a reactive calcium carbonate cement. ReAct is nearly 50% captured CO₂ by weight and can be used alone or blended with ordinary Portland cement.

Separately, Fortera says ReAct produces 70% fewer emissions than ordinary Portland cement. The site was chosen for its scale and its Mississippi River access, which reaches most of the U.S. and export markets.

Domestic supply is a timely fit. Imports covered 21% of U.S. cement demand in 2025, according to the U.S. Geological Survey.

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How Does the Meta EAC Agreement Work?

Meta will buy Environmental Attribute Certificates, or EACs, tied to about 200,000 tons of ReAct cement over several years. EACs separate a material's low-carbon attributes from the physical product. That lets a buyer pay for the emissions benefit without necessarily taking delivery of the cement.

A multi-year buyer gives lenders long-term revenue visibility. Both announcements say the deal supports Fortera's financing for the plant.

Neither announcement confirmed a final investment decision, closed financing, a capital cost, a construction start, or a commissioning date. Meta holds options to expand the deal's volume and duration. It can also take physical cement for its own building projects.

This is Fortera's second deal with a hyperscaler. In September 2025, Microsoft invested in Fortera through its Climate Innovation Fund, with rights to procure ReAct cement and its certificates.

Certificate deals are becoming a common tool in industrial carbon capture and hard-to-abate supply chains. They let buyers fund lower-carbon materials before full commercial volumes exist.

How Does Fortera's Redding Plant Compare to Ste. Genevieve?

Ste. Genevieve would produce 20 times the cement of Fortera's first plant in Redding, California. Redding has run the ReCarb process at commercial scale since April 2024.

Plant	Location	Annual Capacity	Status
Fortera ReCarb Plant	Redding, California	15,000 tons per year	Operating since April 2024
Fortera Cement Plant	Ste. Genevieve, Missouri	300,000 tons per year	Planned

The jump matters because cement is a large emissions source. It accounts for roughly 8% of global greenhouse gas emissions, per the U.S. Department of Energy. That makes cement a priority for industrial decarbonization.

Why Does This Matter for the Lime Industry?

Calcination accounts for roughly 60% of lime's Scope 1 emissions, which makes capture tools like ReCarb valuable to producers. Those emissions come from the chemistry of heating limestone, not just from burning kiln fuel.

MLC, a St. Louis-based HBM Holdings company, runs what it describes as the largest lime operation in the Americas at Ste. Genevieve. MLC has cut its carbon footprint by 8% since 2022.

Paul Hogan, MLC's CEO and current president of the National Lime Association, says the industry needs new tools to go further.

Unlike geologic storage, Fortera's approach turns captured CO₂ into a product that can be sold. That gives lime producers a revenue stream alongside lower emissions. Explore more CCUS developments on Decarbonfuse.

Who Will Use the Cement?

Ozinga plans to use ReAct cement from Ste. Genevieve across the Midwest. Ozinga is a fifth-generation, family-owned concrete and building materials company.

Meta's option to take physical cement adds a second demand path beyond certificates. Corporate carbon removal commitments are increasingly built to support both financing and physical supply.

Meta says the project will bring construction jobs and long-term manufacturing jobs to Missouri.

What's Next for Fortera's Commercial Pipeline?

Ste. Genevieve leads a pipeline built on bolting ReCarb onto existing lime and cement plants. Partners keep their kilns, limestone supply, and distribution networks.

Fortera has a global partnership with Graymont, a major lime and limestone producer. It is also running a feasibility study with Japan's Sumitomo Corporation for a commercial plant in Asia.

With Meta joining Microsoft, Fortera now has two hyperscaler buyers. Long-term corporate procurement commitments are helping finance first-of-kind industrial plants. A similar pattern drove the $450 million offtake deal behind Emvolon's raise.

Read more on the wider carbon storage landscape and evolving certification standards for carbon removal.

For ongoing coverage of carbon removal, BECCS, and corporate CDR procurement, subscribe to Decarbonfuse.com.