Krists Mertens joins SCHWENK Latvija management team

Krists Mertens has been appointed as Director of Decarbonisation and Energy Projects at SCHWENK Latvija. The newly created position will be responsible for implementing carbon capture projects at the Brocēni cement plant so that by 2030 the building materials industry in Latvia and Northern Europe can use cement with minimised CO2 emissions in the production process.

Mertens gained his experience in management and the energy sector in Latvia, having worked for Enefit for the last eight years. He has served on the company’s Board of Directors since 2018 and as Chief Executive Officer and Chairman of the Board since 2020. Previous work experience related to financial consulting and banking sector. Mertens holds a Bachelor’s degree in Engineering Economics from Riga Technical University and a Master’s degree in International Business Administration (MBA) from Riga Business School.

Reinhold Schneider, Chairman of the Management Board of SCHWENK Latvija and CEO of SCHWENK Northern Europe, points out that cement production is an emissions-intensive process, which is why the company has been making targeted investments for several years to reduce its climate and environmental impact. Our challenge for the next five years is to build carbon capture and related infrastructure and technologies at the Brocēni cement plant to provide cement with the lowest possible climate and environmental impact to customers in Latvia and export countries.

The Brocēni cement plant is expected to become the first industrial facility in the Baltic Sea region and one of the first in Europe to capture CO2 from the production process using innovative technologies, which will then be transported to specially adapted disposal sites, explains Mertens, pointing out that its benefits will be felt not only in the building materials and construction sectors.