HeidelbergCement has applied for an expansion to its Atlas quarry to enable the company to extract more raw materials for its Paderborn cement works in southern Germany.

The application covers an area of 9ha to be added to the current 29ha exploitation permit. The 420 x 220m area runs continuous with the existing quarry and is expected to be quarried to a depth of 55m, around 5m above the water table, according to the company.