The VAIA (Vicat Advanced Industrial Alliance) CCS project by Vicat aims to capture and store 1.2 Mta of CO2 at the Montalieu-Vercieu cement plant, the largest in France. Now the French Government has awarded a *Grand Projets Industriels de Décarbonation* (GPID) grant for the project, after the project has already been selected by the EU Innovation Fund in November 2025 (we reported here 6.11.2025). Studies are ongoing for the project with a final investment decision scheduled for 2027, to create a unique value chain in the Rhone Valley with CO2 capture, transport and liquefaction for underground storage.