Hanson Cement is planning a £20 million upgrade project at its Padeswood cement plant in Flintshire, in order to guarantee the long-term future of the plant and its employees.
At the heart of the project is the installation of a new vertical roller mill for cement grinding, which will improve efficiency, reduce energy consumption and increase output. Hanson also plans to invest in new rail loading facilities to allow cement to be delivered by train, reducing lorry movements.
Currently, the plant has four operational mills, but they are old and inefficient, and do not have the capacity to grind the volume of clinker made by the kiln. This has created a production imbalance, and means that some of the clinker must be transported elsewhere for grinding.
The project also includes the construction of new cement silos alongside the existing railway line to load trains for delivery. Presently, the rail link is used to bring in coal for the kilns. In the future, three trains a week will be dispatched to Hanson’s depots in London, Bristol and Scotland.
Plant manager Steve Hall said: “The plan is to mothball three of the old mills and install a new vertical roller mill capable of grinding up to 650,000 tonnes of clinker a year. The new mill will be fully enclosed in a building, minimising noise and reducing the potential for escape of cement dust.”
A planning application will be submitted to Flintshire County Council in the summer, with work beginning later this year if it is approved. The new mill aims to be fully operational by early 2019.
Hanson is holding public exhibitions to explain the plans to local residents on 23 and 24 May.