Ecocem announced a EUR170m (US$192.5m) investment in the construction of four new cement production Iines in France to accelerate the delivery of its ACT scalable low-carbon cement technology. This investment is in addition to the EUR50m investment at Ecocem’s Dunkirk facility to deliver its first ACT production line. These new industrial facilities will be located in the Fos-sur-Mer and Dunkirk areas.
When commissioned in 2028-30, the new lines will enable Ecocem to supply a total of 1.9Mta of ACT cement, reducing CO2 emissions by 800,000tpa. In addition, it is expected that the projects will create 60 long-term jobs in France.
ACT technology is the result of 10 years of research and development by Ecocem and is proven to deliver a 70 per cent reduced carbon footprint compared to average cement. The challenge now is to deploy its production throughout Europe and beyond.
The French Ministries of Economy and Finance and Industry, have committed to working closely with the company in the coming months to identify operational and financial solutions to accelerate and deliver this expansion plan. Commenting on the French government’s commitment and its wider implications, Conor O’Riain, MD of Ecocem, said. "The French government, through the Ministry of Economy and Finance and the Ministry of Industry, has demonstrated its strong commitment to accelerating and supporting the industrialisation of ACT and low carbon cement technologies. We need this kind of commitment and active support across Europe and beyond if we are to radically reduce the carbon impact of cement – responsible for almost eight per cent of all CO2 emissions globally. Governments have powerful levers to pull when it comes to accelerating the delivery and adoption of low carbon solutions and these don't need to involve huge subsidies.”
