Displaying items by tag: Canada

Brazil: Votorantim Energia and Canada-based CPP Investments have announced the consolidation of their Brazilian energy assets in a new jointly owned renewable energy platform called VTRM. The new company's assets will reach 3.3GW in capacity by October 2022, consisting of 2.3GW in hydroelectric power and 1.0GW in wind power. Its planned projects, including hydroelectric, solar and hybrid power plants, will increase its capacity by 58% to 5.2GW.Its existing assets sold 2.6GW of electricity in 2020. The partners said that the new company will also be well-positioned for future growth, including the acquisition of operational assets and those in planning or under construction. CPP Investment will inject and additional US$269m into the venture following the conclusion of the deal.

As part of the restructuring, Votorantim Energia will cease to manage Votorantim's cement subsidiary Votorantim Cimentos' dedicated energy assets. The cement producer will then incorporate these into its own operations. This will enable Votorantim Energia to focus on energy generation for sale.

Group president João Schmidt said that the consolidation reflects the major role that energy business will play in the company's future. He said "Globally, there is a growing urgency around renewable energy and the energy transition. Alongside a partner like CPP Investments, which has shared our long-term views on energy since 2017, we are ready to accelerate our role in the sector." He added "Through the assets consolidation into a single platform, Votorantim and CPP Investments will share in a new cycle of growth and value generation together."

US: LafargeHolcim US and ECOncrete Tech have launched a research and development collaboration to design and manufacture a fully structural concrete scour protection unit for offshore wind turbines. The unit’s specifications include seabed stabilisation and promotion of the growth of marine organisms. The collaboration includes a large-scale pilot project to evaluate the ecological performance of units in an offshore environment. The US/Canada Binational Industrial Research and Development (BIRD) Energy programme are funding the project, which will conclude in May 2024.

LafargeHolcim US commercial excellence vice president Josep Maset said “There are many paths to achieving our net zero commitment, and most require innovative partnerships and out-of-the-box thinking. The work we’re doing with ECOncrete Tech is a notable example of searching for solutions that enable increased use of renewable energy in an environmentally responsible way.”

Canada: Habitats for Humanity has again partnered with Lafarge Canada for its annual affordable housing fundraiser in Kingston, Ontario. This year, the partners will attempt to raise US$21,700 over 27 days to support the construction of sustainable housing in Eastern Canada. Lafarge Canada has pledged 80m3 of its ECOPact reduced-CO₂ concrete to the project.

Eastern Canada regional head of environment and sustainability Rob Cumming said "Our sustainability goals overlap safe housing with reduced climate impact.” He added "We are excited about this first milestone and are looking forward to the future supply of our ECOPlanet solutions.”

Canada: Three people, of whom two are in a serious condition, are in hospital in Toronto following an explosion at Lehigh Cement’s Picton cement plant in Prince Edward County, Ontario. The Kingston Whig Standard newspaper has reported that the individuals are believed to be external contractors who were carrying out repairs at the plant. The explosion occurred in a kiln on the morning of 7 September 2021.

The Ontario Ministry of Labour and fire services continue to investigate the incident.

US: The US Geological Survey (USGS) recorded a 0.8% year-on-year increase in total US cement shipments in the first half of 2021 to 50.4Mt from 50.0Mt in the first half of 2021. Domestic deliveries constituted 85% of the total at 42.6Mt, against 7.75Mt of imports (15%). Clinker imports were 1.23Mt, with a total value of US$81.6m. Turkey was the lead exporter of clinker to the US in 2020 at 470,000t (38%), followed by Saudi Arabia with 466,000t (38%) and Canada with 276,000t (22%).

Canada: Lafarge Canada has signed a deal with aerated concrete block producer Cematrix to renew its cement supply and joint marketing agreement with the company. The new agreement is effective until 2026.

Western Canada sales and logistics vice-president Cory Cannon said "Lafarge and Cematrix have worked together seamlessly throughout Canada. The extension of these agreements is a natural result of the joint successes we have experienced on numerous projects with the full expectation that this relationship will only continue to grow into the future."

Canada: Lafarge Canada has supplied the first EcoPact Zero near-zero net CO2 ready-mix concrete in Canada. The subsidiary of Switzerland-based Holcim supplied the concrete to a Habitat for Humanity housing development site in Kingston, Ontario.

Canada: Giatec has launched Roxi, an AI testing programme designed to reduce cement use in ready-mix concrete production. The programme combines with Giatec’s proprietary sensing technology. The supplier has received funding from Sustainable Development Technology Canada (SDTC) for Roxi’s development and industrial roll-out.

CEO Pouria Ghods said “Based on two case studies, we estimate that up to 20% reduction in cement usage can be achieved using our technology. With this funding, Giatec will provide a solution that will bring not only economic, but also environmental benefits, by reducing CO2 emissions, air pollution, and water use in the construction industry.”

Canada/US: Schaeffler has launched Optime, a condition monitoring system, on the Canada and US markets. The supplier says that the system consists of wireless vibrator sensors, a cellular gateway and a dedicated data collection app. The captured information is then processed and analysed by Schaeffler’s proprietary software and models. This can then be used to improve cement producers’ awareness of possible damage to components such as fans, motors and pumps.

Americas regional manager for condition monitoring and Industry 4.0 service solutions Frank Mignano said “With Optime, comprehensive and automated condition monitoring is now a cost-effective proposition for reliability personnel and facility operators.”

Canada: Progressive Planet and sustainable construction company ZS2 have signed a letter of intent to collaborate on green cement technologies development. The pozzolan-based cement producer will supply ZS2 with 10,000t/yr of natural pozzolan, beginning in late 2021. It will also purchase US$300,000-worth of shares in ZS2. The companies will also explore sequestering CO₂ in magnesium-based cements.

ZS2 chief executive officer Scott Jenkins said "The technical collaboration between PLAN and ZS2 continues to grow. The potential to reduce the carbon footprint of innovative cement products is significant with the combination of our mutual research and commercialisation to date. ZS2's growing portfolio of high performance, fire-resistant and sustainable building technologies will be greatly enhanced by our expanding partnership, and we are extremely excited about our shared future potential."