Displaying items by tag: Canada

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.

Canada/USA: McInnis Cement's plan to import cement through the Port of Providence, Rhode Island is scheduled for a hearing on 12 November 2015 at Providence City Hall on its request for tax incentives to improve its local facility.

McInnis USA, a subsidiary of Montreal-based McInnis Cement, has requested a 12-year tax stabilisation agreement for the property taxes it will pay on planned improvements to an industrial building at ProvPort. The company has requested a similar tax stabilisation agreement for tangible property taxes.

The site would be turned over to McInnis under a long-term lease, which would restore the facility as a taxable location. Under the property tax stabilisation agreement, the company would pay taxes of US$50,000 for the first three years. Full taxes would begin to be phased in in the fourth year, based on a projected assessment of US$5m. The full value of its Providence facility would be determined in the seventh year, after which full taxes would begin to be phased in.

McInnis Cement operates a limestone quarry in southern Quebec and is building a 2.2Mt/yr cement plant, as well as a maritime terminal, in Gaspesie, a town in Quebec, Canada.

Canada: The Lafarge Brookfield cement plant in Nova Scotia, Canada, is celebrating its 50th anniversary of operations in 2015.

In 1957, the Canada Cement Company sent a team of engineers and land surveyors to Nova Scotia, Canada to search for a limestone deposit suitable for the construction of a cement plant. Out of 27 potential sites, Brookfield received the nod of approval. The company proceeded over the next few years to build a US$25m state-of-the-art cement plant. Production began on 29 September 1965.

While the raw materials mixture and fuels used for production have changed in the past five decades, the overall method of manufacturing remains the same, according to Plant Manager ScarthMacDonnell. "In some ways the plant has not changed a bit since it opened up. The fundamental process of cement manufacturing has not changed. The products we make, the fuels we use and the environmental footprint has completely transformed. So the cements we make today make 25% less carbon dioxide then they did when the plant started up," said MacDonnell. He added that more than 20% of the energy used for cement production comes from recycled materials.

More than 1000 individuals have earned a living working at Lafarge over the past 50 years while continuously producing cement that has been used in countless projects, big and small. By far the biggest showcase project the plant has been involved with was providing all the cement used in the construction of the Confederation Bridge, between New Brunswick and Prince Edward Island. "It was a very special recipe," said MacDonnell, of the 250,000t of cement used for the project. "It was a specialised, high-performance cement that was required for the job and it was a different product than was normally made."

Despite 50 years of mining, the reserves in the limestone deposit discovered back in 1957 are far from being depleted. "We've got well over 25 years of stone still on the property," said MacDonnell. "And there's more there if we want to go get it."

Canada: McInnis Cement and the St Elzear Forestry Cooperative Association (ACF) have signed a cooperative agreement to study the feasibility of using forest biomass as an auxiliary fuel for the cement plant under construction in Port-Daniel-Gascons.

The utilisation of forest biomass as an alternative fuel would enable the McInnis cement plant to reduce its emissions of greenhouse gases (GHG). McInnis Cement has provided the equipment necessary for the use of alternative fuels at its new cement plant.

"We are pleased to establish this collaboration with the region's forest industry in line with our GHG reduction plan," said Christian Gagnon, president and CEO of McInnis Cement. "Any operations that result from this agreement will be reviewed by the Environmental Committee, whose work began in April 2015," he added.

Forest biomass is a fuel source in abundant supply in Gaspé. McInnis Cement requires a local long-term quality source of supply at competitive costs. The St Elzear ACF is able to supply forest residues, wood chips, sawdust, shavings and bark.

"By studying the possibilities together, including from the outset the client's needs and the capabilities of potential suppliers, we are putting all the pieces in place to make this project a reality," said Sebastien Roy, executive director of the St Alzear ACF. "The success of a fruitful partnership between McInnis and our organisation would be a big boost to our industry. The situation is complex since, beyond availability, supply sources need to be guaranteed over the long-term and quality and prices must remain competitive, including product transportation and processing costs."

Canada: The Vancouver Sun has reported that a pair of bald eagles that have nested in a tree on the Lafarge industrial site in Vancouver have been beset by tragedy after the mother eagle died, leaving two baby eagles as orphans.

Lafarge had built a new nesting platform up a 20m pole in 2009, but the eagles used it for perching only and continued to nest elsewhere. The eagles hatched two eaglets in April 2015, but on 13 June 2015 the female was electrocuted by power lines while being chased by crows. The loss has devastated conservationists who had long worked to protect the pair and has left them wondering if the male eagle can continue to successfully raise his young until they are fledged, in about four weeks.

"We are just heartsick over this tragedy," said Karen Bills, project coordinator for the Hancock Wildlife Foundation, which worked with Lafarge to install the artificial nest.

Afghanistan: According to the BBC, following a meeting with the first vice president of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan Gen Abdorrashid Dostum, several Canadian businessmen said that they would invest US$8bn dollars in Afghanistan and later increase that amount.

The funds will be invested in the construction of a hydropower dam in Fariab Province and the extraction of gas and petroleum in Sheberghan City. Work to build a cement plant in Samangan Province, the extraction of coal in Takhar Province and gemstones in Badakhshan Province and an iron plant will also be part of their programmes. All the activities will be under control of the Afghan government, the World Bank and other Afghan government institutions.

US/Canada: Lafarge and Holcim have received final approval for their proposed merger from the competition authorities in the US and Canada. All competition approvals necessary for closing the transaction have now been obtained ahead of the expected closing in July 2015.

Following the regulatory assessment in all key jurisdictions, Holcim and Lafarge can now present a final list of divestments to satisfy regulatory requirements. These divestments remain subject to the completion of the merger, including a successful public exchange offering to Lafarge's shareholders and approval by Holcim's shareholders.

Canada: Global Cement has taken centre-stage for delegates registering at the IEEE-IAS/PCA 2015 Cement Industry Technical Conference with copies of the April 2015 issue on offer. The conference runs from 26 – 30 April 2015 at the Sheraton Centre Toronto Hotel in Toronto, Canada.

Delegates attending the IEEE-IAS/PCA 2015 can keep informed about the conference cement plant tour by reading a feature interview with the team who run St Marys Bowmanville. The plant tour is scheduled to take place on Thursday 30 April. The April 2015 issue of Global Cement Magazine also includes a country feature on the Canadian cement industry.