Ecocem to construct four new production lines in France
€170 million investment to accelerate delivery of ACT scalable low-carbon cement technology to market
ECOCEM have today announced an additional investment of €170 million to construct four new production lines in France and accelerate delivery of their ACT scalable low-carbon cement technology. The French Government has committed to working closely with Ecocem in the coming months to identify operational and financial solutions to accelerate and deliver this expansion plan.
This investment is in addition to the €50 million investment at Ecocem’s Dunkirk facility to deliver its first ACT production line. These new industrial facilities will be concentrated in the Fos-sur-Mer and Dunkirk areas, and the additional manufacturing capacity will come on stream between 2028 and 2030. At full capacity, ACT production in France will reach 1.9 million tonnes per year, reducing CO2 emissions by 800,000 tonnes annually and creating 60 long-term jobs in France.
ACT technology is the result of 10 years of research and development by Ecocem who say it is proven to deliver a 70% reduced carbon footprint compared with standard cement. The challenge now, they say, is to deploy its production throughout Europe and beyond.
Commenting on the French Government’s commitment and its wider implications, Conor O’Riain, managing director 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 industrialization 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, [which is] responsible for almost 8% 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.’
