Successful results three years after the integration of Cimenterie McInnis with Ciment St. Marys' operations

Ciment St. Marys is now majority-owned by its Brazilian parent company, Votorantim Cimentos.

Employing more than 200 people and providing work for up to 1000 subcontractors, it is one of the largest private employers in the Gaspé region.

"Since we acquired the plant, we have been striving to make it a model of environmental excellence", says Jorge Wagner, CEO of Ciment St. Marys. According to Mr. Wagner: "With our long and extensive experience in the industry, we knew that we would be able to optimise production at the McInnis cement plant while minimising its environmental footprint. That's why Ciment St. Marys drew up a long-term business plan, which we are now implementing. Reinvestments continue to be made on a regular basis to achieve our environmental and operational objectives, and we are very proud of this. Ciment St. Marys' vision is to achieve carbon neutrality in concrete by 2050.

A pioneer in environmental standards

The McInnis cement plant is the first in Canada to commit to meeting US NESHAP (National Emission Standards for Hazardous Air Pollutants) standards, which are more restrictive than Quebec's air emission standards. The plant was designed and built using state-of-the-art technology and operates processes and equipment that significantly increase thermal efficiency and reduce electrical energy consumption compared with older cement plants.

To date, Ciment St. Marys has invested US$80 million to sustain and improve the plant's productivity and efficiency as well as its environmental footprint. The company is also actively working to reduce the McInnis plant's greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. The plant has fully transitioned production from traditional ordinary Portland cement (OPC) to Portland limestone cement (PLC), a product that has a significantly lower carbon footprint.

Significant economic impact

The cement plant's economic spin-offs are vital to the region. The plant actively contributes to local economic growth and the prosperity of the surrounding communities. In addition to the employees hired directly at the plant, its activities and the work carried out create indirect jobs throughout the Gaspé region.

In recent weeks, the regional political community has reaffirmed its unified support. The municipality of Port-Daniel–Gascons and the Le Rocher-Percé and Bonaventure RCMs adopted resolutions in support of the cement plant. These resolutions highlight the cement plant's undeniable impact on the economy and community, underlining its major involvement in local events and the development of sports, for example.

For his part, Henri Grenier, Mayor of Port-Daniel–Gascons, emphasised the importance of the cement plant for his municipality: "It's an exceptional opportunity to have a company of this size on our territory because of its remarkable contribution to the vitality of our municipality. In addition to its significant economic impact, we must also recognise its contribution to our community and sporting facilities, as well as to our region's reputation. We are always happy to work with Ciment St. Marys, an excellent corporate citizen whose proactive approach we would like to highlight."

The company recently confirmed a major contribution of US$400 000 towards the renovation and extension of the local sports arena. The cement company's contribution will go towards purchasing equipment, furniture and infrastructure for the gymnasium and indoor arena.

Ciment St. Marys is also committed to maintaining positive relations with the local community and contributing to the region's sustainable development. The company believes in listening to the population's concerns through various committees set up in a spirit of openness and collaboration, such as the one with First Nations representatives, the Mi'gmawei Mawiomi Secretariat, or committees with citizen and stakeholder groups.

A step towards circularity and further GHG reduction

Ciment St. Marys intends to take its environmental approach even further by using lower-carbon fuels in its manufacturing process. This opportunity is currently being developed and will considerably reduce the plant's use of fossil fuels.

Similarly, the plant plans to increase its capacity in the manufacture of lower-carbon blended cement. This initiative alone could reduce carbon intensity by 11%, equivalent to 33 500 gasoline-powered passenger vehicles driven for one year.

Read the article online at: https://www.worldcement.com/the-americas/23082024/successful-results-three-years-after-the-integration-of-cimenterie-mcinnis-with-ciment-st-marys-operations/