Heidelberg Materials has commissioned a new kiln line at its Airvault cement plant in Nouvelle-Aquitaine, France, replacing two semi-dry clinker lines with a modern dry-process installation.
The new line has a clinker production capacity of 1.25Mta and incorporates a pre-calciner system designed to improve operational efficiency and reduce emissions.
The project forms part of a wider EUR350m modernisation programme at the site, aimed at significantly lowering the plant’s carbon footprint. Heidelberg Materials said the upgrades will enable up to 90 per cent of the plant’s energy demand to be met through alternative fuels, while reducing electricity consumption per tonne of cement by around 10 per cent.
Combined with a lower clinker factor, the measures are expected to cut CO2 emissions from cement production at the plant by nearly 30 per cent compared to previous operations.
The modernised facility will also support the introduction of calcined clay in cement production and the launch of a new low-carbon “Q cement” product range.
In addition, the project is aligned with the planned AirvaultGOCO2 carbon capture initiative, which targets around 1Mta of CO2 capture as part of wider decarbonisation efforts in western France.
