Displaying items by tag: Canada

Canada: McInnis Cement has commissioned NovaAlgoma Cement Carriers to supply it with a 15,000t deadweight cement carrier ship using a cement unloading system delivered by Van Aalst Marine & Offshore. The self-discharging dry bulk cement carrier will be time chartered by McInnis Cement under a long-term agreement. The ship, which was built in 2011, is currently undergoing conversion in China to a cement carrier by its owner NovaAlgoma. The conversion will include the installation of the cement unloading system and a hybrid exhaust gas scrubber system capable of operating in both fresh and salt waters. The ship is scheduled for delivery in early 2017.

“We are pleased to establish this new relationship with NovaAlgoma and Van Aalst that will allow us to take advantage of their cutting edge technology, attention to ecological details and their long-term marine transportation and cargo handling expertise,” said McInnis Cement Vice President Logistics and Distribution, Mark Newhart. The ship will be registered in Canada and use Canadian crew.

“The McInnis project will be a showcase of how the Van Aalst signature vacuum – pressure technology in cement carriers will result into high performance, low emissions and an unsurpassed reliability. The productive and professional partnership approach between McInnis, NovaAlgoma and ourselves has proven to be very successful in achieving and exceeding the requirements of the project,” said Wijnand van Aalst, CEO of Van Aalst Group.

The scrubber system will enable the ship to be fully compliant with the International Maritime Organization (IMO) Marpol Annex VI Sulphur Oxide (SO_x) regulations, regardless of the fuel being used within the North American ECA (emissions control area) which includes Canadian and US coastal waters and the Great Lakes.

The time charter agreement for the ship was brokered by Barry Rogliano Salles, a diversified global shipping services group offering a range of maritime activities. The company’s core business is ship brokering and has been active for over 150 years, operating 20 offices worldwide.

Canada: Christian Gagnon, the president and chief executive officer of McInnis Cement, has left the company. The board of directors announced the departure and said that the cement producer is currently recruiting his replacement. A new executive committee has been put in place to take over the management of the company until the vacancy has been filled. It is composed of the following members: Louis Laporte, Chief of Operations; Ronald Bougie, Executive Vice-President, Engineering, Construction and Operations; and Marc Baillargeon, Management Advisor acting on behalf of la Caisse.

In other changes to the company’s executive team, Ronald Bougie has been appointed with immediate effect as the Executive Vice-President, Engineering, Construction and Operations. Bougie has experience in the construction of large industrial projects including the Stornoway site, a project in which Caisse de dépôt et de placement du Québec invested. Until a new president and chief executive officer is appointed, Bougie will report directly to McInnis Cement’s Executive Committee. Bougie will have direct access to the Board of Directors to provide progress reports. The board will closely monitor the final stages of the site’s construction.

Canada: The Cement Association of Canada has become a member of the Carbon Pricing Leadership Coalition (CPLC) as a strategic partner. The CPLC is a voluntary initiative that supports and encourages the implementation of carbon pricing around the world. It was initiated by the World Bank at the 2014 United Nations Climate Change Summit in New York City and officially launched in 2015 at COP21 in Paris.

“Well designed carbon pricing systems can drive innovation and prepare companies and communities to prosper in a competitive, low carbon and climate resilient economy,” said Michael McSweeney, President and CEO, Cement Association of Canada. “We have long advocated for carbon pricing in Canada and globally and are eager to continue our work with the federal and provincial governments to help them design and implement climate policies that support the goals of the Paris Agreement, protect and enhance the competitiveness of the domestic industry and promote alignment on carbon pricing among our trading partners.”

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.