Displaying items by tag: Canada

Canada The Quebec government has said that it has no plans to invest further into the McInnis Cement plant on the Gaspé Peninsula. Dominique Anglade, the province's Economy Minister, said on 29 July 2016 that she was confident that the US$854m project would be profitable and there will be no further investment on the part of the government, according to the Globe and Mail newspaper. Key investors, including the Bombardier-Beaudoin family and the Caisse de dépôt et placement du Québec, are facing additional costs of up to US$350m, according to sources cited by the newspaper.

The provincial government says it has taken action since learning of the cost overrun, including securing guarantees regarding the financial package needed in the short term to ensure completion of the project. Other unspecified ‘additional conditions’ have also been attached to the government's financial contribution. Quebec is a major equity partner in the project, with a US$78m investment. It also provided a US$194m loan on commercial terms.

The cement plant has a planned launch of operations set for spring 2017.

Canada: St Marys Cement has reported breaching its limits for air emissions on five occasions in 2015. Environmental manager Ruben Plaza presented the findings to Clarington council on 13 June 2016, according to the Durham Region newspaper.

Plaza said the first two breaches occurred in January 2015 and were caused by plant and quarry activities. They measured values of 53mg/m³ and 72mg/m³. The other three breaches were not related to the plant’s activity, according to Plaza. He blamed them on, ”…activities close to samplers or could have been construction on Highway 401.” These occurred twice in May and again in July 2015. They were 51mg/m³, 51mg/m³ and 54mg/m³ respectively. Plaza added that it is not ‘abnormal’ for an industrial plant to exceed its air emissions limits on occasions, provided they do not happen constantly. The local 24-hour average limit for emissions is 53mg/m³.

It was also revealed that St Marys Cement’s operations released 4096t of SO₂ between in 2015. The Ministry of Environment and Climate Change allows for 3511t. However, the cement producer is allowed to transfer the difference between its plants to obtain clearance.

Canada: The Cement Association of Canada (CAC) has congratulated the Ontario government for releasing its Climate Action Plan. The five-year plan was released on 8 June 2016. A key feature of the plan includes supporting a cap-and-trade carbon pricing scheme.

CAC singled out that the plan would enable emissions-intensive trade-exposed (EITE) industries, like cement, to reduce their own reliance on coal. The plan has set aside US$30 - $45m to help EITE industries across Ontario move away from coal and develop the necessary supply chains so they can better utilise alternative low carbon fuels. Other aspects of the plan the CAC liked included the plan’s decision to establish a service standard for decisions on alternative fuel applications and the collaborative nature of the plan’s consultation.

"Today, I'm happy with approaches that are laid out in the climate action plan which will help industries, like cement, reduce their greenhouse gases (GHG) emissions while remaining globally competitive. We look forward to continuing to work with the Ontario government on the next steps to ensure that Ontario achieves its GHG reduction targets," said Michael McSweeney, president and CEO, CAC.

Canada: A fire broke out at a coal silo at the Lehigh Cement plant in Edmonton on 10 May 2016. Four fire fighters were sent to hospital to investigate potential carbon monoxide inhalation, according to Postmedia Breaking News. An investigation is now underway to discover the cause.

Lehigh Hanson health and safety director Gerry Sanderson said that the plant wasn't shut down or evacuated. He added that the fire had been contained and that damage to the facility appeared to be minimal.

Canada: CSA Group has announced the registration of its first environmental product declaration (EPD) by the Cement Association of Canada. The registration is for general use and portland-limestone cements.

"Cement is used virtually exclusively to make concrete, a material that is literally the foundation of modern society and that will play a key role in the transition to a low carbon and climate resilient future," said Michael McSweeney, President and CEO of the Cement Association of Canada. "The cement and concrete industry is committed to doing all it can to help in this transition. Not only are EPDs an important tool for providing data and transparency on materials but also to support complex integrated design processes that help maximize the role that materials like concrete can play in advanced energy efficient design."

CSA Group is a not-for-profit standards organisation based in Canada. EPDs provide a standard way to communicate the environmental impact of available products and can be used as part of the life-cycle assessment of a building. EPDs can measure environmental impacts from raw material extraction to the end product. They take into account factors such as overall energy use and efficiency, emissions and waste generation.

Canada/US: Illumiti has completed the first two phases of the deployment of SAP® Business Suite 4 SAP HANA® (SAP S/4HANA) for Monarch Cement. The business operation software suite designed to help companies run their business operations.

"We are very pleased to be implementing SAP S/4HANA and excited about the efficiencies it will bring to our operations over the longer term," said Karen Jarred, Monarch Cement's IT director. "One of the main reasons that we chose SAP S/4HANA was its ability to empower our management team by providing them with easy access to the information they need, when they need it." SAP S/4HANA is intended to provide a single business platform that will allow Monarch greater control of its operations in a scalable secure fashion.

The final phase of the implementation project is planned for completion in early April 2016 and will include finance/controlling and material management components.

Canada: LafargeHolcim cement plant workers at Saint-Constant went on strike on 6 February 2016, according to CJAD radio. A collective agreement for 68 workers at the plant, members of the United Steelworkers union, expired in September 2015. No new contract has been agreed after nine negotiation meetings. The principal disagreement concerns a change to the workers' pension plan.

Canada/Luxembourg: Algoma Central Corp has entered into a joint venture agreement with Nova Marine Holding SA of Luxembourg and its subsidiaries to create a global fleet of cement carriers to support infrastructure projects worldwide. Algoma will own 50% of the joint venture, which will be named NovaAlgoma Cement Carriers (NACC).

"We are very excited about the opportunity this investment with Nova presents," said Ken Soerensen, President and Chief Executive Officer of Algoma. "NACC is an excellent example of a global short-sea shipping business that shares many characteristics with our domestic dry-bulk business. In fact, Algoma currently provides technical and operations management services for three cement carrying vessels on the Great Lakes on behalf of major cement producers."

The demand for modern efficient cement carriers continues to increase globally. Growth is fuelled by demand for infrastructure in developing regions, by infrastructure renewal in mature markets, by consolidation among major cement producers and by the need to renew an aging fleet.

"We are very pleased to be able to work with our experienced partner, Nova, in this segment," said Wayne Smith, Senior Vice President, Commercial, of Algoma. "We see opportunities in both existing markets and globally for the renewal of cement carrier vessels."

Under the terms of the agreement, upon the satisfaction of certain conditions precedent, Algoma will acquire a 50% interest in the existing cement carrier fleet owned by Nova, comprising three pneumatic cement carriers now in operation and two additional vessels under construction. These five vessels are and will be deployed in various regional markets in Asia and Europe.

"The cement business is becoming more global and consolidated. We are excited by the prospects of this venture because it aims to create a dedicated group to serve the cement industry in its global logistic needs," said Vincenzo Romeo, Chief Executive Officer of Nova Marine Holding SA.

Canada: Cement manufacturers produced 1.11Mt of cement products in November 2015, down by 12.2% compared to October 2015. Domestic cement shipments fell by 15% from October 2015 to 1.08Mt in November 2015. Including imports, shipments were down by 19.9% to 1.10Mt.

Canada: Tony Levstik returned to Lafarge to pull the plug on the oldest piece of equipment at the Lafarge cement plant in Exshaw, Alberta, Canada. He was the first operator of the kiln when it was installed in 1975. He said that shutting it down was a lot easier than starting it up.

Kiln 6 is replacing kiln 4 as part of Lafarge's plant expansion project. The new technology will help to control dust and has fewer emissions. It will be approximately 30% cleaner with sulphur dioxide emissions, 75% cleaner with nitrous oxide emissions and have 25% less greenhouse gas emissions caused by combustion. The new kiln will also have better filter technology to help improve dust control. Kiln 4 used the gravel bed filter technology, which was prevalent in the 1980s and 1990s, but kiln 6 will have a state of the art bag house to collect dust.

"You can't make cement without using a lot of energy and these kilns that we're putting in are a lot more energy efficient, so we won't use as much fossil fuel, as much power to run the new plant," said Lafarge Plant Manager Jim Bachmann. "For a lot of reasons this is an exciting day." Kiln 6 will be operational in 2016.