Ecocem boosts low-carbon cement production in France

Low-carbon cement producer Ecocem announced an additional Eur170 million investment for the construction of four new lines in France to boost delivery of its ACT scalable cement technology, with support from the French government, the company said May 20.

"We need this kind of commitment and active support [as provided by the French government] across Europe and beyond if we are to radically reduce the carbon impact of cement," Conor O'Riain, Ecocem's managing director, said in the statement.

"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."

This investment is in addition to the Eur50 million commitment at the company's first ACT production line in Dunkirk, announced earlier this year. The new facilities will be concentrated in the Fos-sur-Mer and Dunkirk areas and will come on stream between 2028 and 2030. At full capacity, ACT production in France will reach 1.9 million mt/year and is expected to reduce CO2 emissions by 800,000 mt.

Ecocem has developed the ACT technology after 10 years of research and development to deliver a 70% reduced carbon footprint compared to normal cement, the company said.

Platts, part of S&P Global Energy, assessed CEMDEX Turkey at $54/mt FOB on May 15.