Ground Broken On 4 Million-Mtpy Mississippi River Plant

Holcim (US) Inc. staged formal ground breaking in late March for its Ste. Genevieve Project, a massive cement mill on a 4,000-acre, Mississippi River-front

Holcim (US) Inc. staged formal ground breaking in late March for its Ste. Genevieve Project, a massive cement mill on a 4,000-acre, Mississippi River-front site in southeast Missouri. The groundbreaking followed a few months of preliminary site work and occurred nearly seven years after the plant was announced. The Ste. Genevieve Project saw a detailed permitting process against challenges from fringe groups claiming environmental and community concerns. The completed facility will meet one of the lowest emission limits to date for a U.S. cement plant. Holcim has also committed to setting aside a permanent 2,200-acre buffer area Û more than 55 percent of the property’s total acreage Û and confining active quarrying to 200 acres.

In mid-2006, Holcim expects to issue a request for proposals on the next phase of the three-year job. At the peak of activity, up to 1,000 workers will be involved in construction. When the Ste. Genevieve Project begins operations in 2009, it will employ approximately 200 and have an annual clinker capacity of 4 million metric tons.