Displaying items by tag: McInnis Cement
Canada The Quebec government has said that it has no plans to invest further into the McInnis Cement plant on the Gaspé Peninsula. Dominique Anglade, the province's Economy Minister, said on 29 July 2016 that she was confident that the US$854m project would be profitable and there will be no further investment on the part of the government, according to the Globe and Mail newspaper. Key investors, including the Bombardier-Beaudoin family and the Caisse de dépôt et placement du Québec, are facing additional costs of up to US$350m, according to sources cited by the newspaper.
The provincial government says it has taken action since learning of the cost overrun, including securing guarantees regarding the financial package needed in the short term to ensure completion of the project. Other unspecified ‘additional conditions’ have also been attached to the government's financial contribution. Quebec is a major equity partner in the project, with a US$78m investment. It also provided a US$194m loan on commercial terms.
The cement plant has a planned launch of operations set for spring 2017.
McInnis Cement seeks tax stabilisation agreement to improve Providence Port building
12 November 2015Canada/USA: McInnis Cement's plan to import cement through the Port of Providence, Rhode Island is scheduled for a hearing on 12 November 2015 at Providence City Hall on its request for tax incentives to improve its local facility.
McInnis USA, a subsidiary of Montreal-based McInnis Cement, has requested a 12-year tax stabilisation agreement for the property taxes it will pay on planned improvements to an industrial building at ProvPort. The company has requested a similar tax stabilisation agreement for tangible property taxes.
The site would be turned over to McInnis under a long-term lease, which would restore the facility as a taxable location. Under the property tax stabilisation agreement, the company would pay taxes of US$50,000 for the first three years. Full taxes would begin to be phased in in the fourth year, based on a projected assessment of US$5m. The full value of its Providence facility would be determined in the seventh year, after which full taxes would begin to be phased in.
McInnis Cement operates a limestone quarry in southern Quebec and is building a 2.2Mt/yr cement plant, as well as a maritime terminal, in Gaspesie, a town in Quebec, Canada.
Canada: McInnis Cement and the St Elzear Forestry Cooperative Association (ACF) have signed a cooperative agreement to study the feasibility of using forest biomass as an auxiliary fuel for the cement plant under construction in Port-Daniel-Gascons.
The utilisation of forest biomass as an alternative fuel would enable the McInnis cement plant to reduce its emissions of greenhouse gases (GHG). McInnis Cement has provided the equipment necessary for the use of alternative fuels at its new cement plant.
"We are pleased to establish this collaboration with the region's forest industry in line with our GHG reduction plan," said Christian Gagnon, president and CEO of McInnis Cement. "Any operations that result from this agreement will be reviewed by the Environmental Committee, whose work began in April 2015," he added.
Forest biomass is a fuel source in abundant supply in Gaspé. McInnis Cement requires a local long-term quality source of supply at competitive costs. The St Elzear ACF is able to supply forest residues, wood chips, sawdust, shavings and bark.
"By studying the possibilities together, including from the outset the client's needs and the capabilities of potential suppliers, we are putting all the pieces in place to make this project a reality," said Sebastien Roy, executive director of the St Alzear ACF. "The success of a fruitful partnership between McInnis and our organisation would be a big boost to our industry. The situation is complex since, beyond availability, supply sources need to be guaranteed over the long-term and quality and prices must remain competitive, including product transportation and processing costs."
McInnis Cement warehouse for New York
17 April 2015US/Candada: Montreal-based McInnis Cement plans to build a US$40m distribution warehouse along the East River in the Bronx, New York, in the hopes of reducing truck traffic in the borough as well as developing its waterfront, according to local media.
McInnis Cement will transport cement down the river from Quebec in 35,000t loads. McInnis will still use trucks to deliver cement from the warehouse to customers, but the new facility should decrease the trucking situation in the borough. "We've done a pretty thorough analysis of the trucking effect in the local community and, in general, we believe that trucking will go down," said Jim Braselton, senior vice president of sales, marketing and logistics at McInnis Cement.
As part of the project, McInnis Cement plans to build a pedestrian pathway on the waterfront. It aims to break ground on the project by the end of the summer of 2015, with completion by the end of 2016.
Canada: Following a mediation session, McInnis Cement, the Centre québécois du droit de l'environnement (CQDE), the Conseil régional de l'environnement Gaspésie-Îles-de-la-Madeleine (CREGIM) and Nature Québec have agreed to the creation of an Environmental Committee to monitor McInnis Cement's plant in Gaspé, Quebec. The first meeting will be held as soon as possible. The mediation also led to specific commitments regarding greenhouse gases (GHG), emissions and impacts on marine mammals and aquatic fauna.
The mediation process resulted from the agreement with McInnis when the CQDE withdrew from the proceedings filed in August 2014 against the Environment Minister, in which McInnis Cement was a party. The role of the committee is to monitor environmental matters and issue recommendations. In addition to monitoring GHG emissions and emissions listed in the NESHAP 2015 US standards and monitoring the Fisheries and Oceans Canada (DFO) protocol on impacts on marine mammals and aquatic fauna, the committee will also address impacts on the physical environment, vegetation and wetlands, natural habitats and biodiversity, landscape, as well as any other environmental issue agreed to by the committee.
The committee will meet at least four times a year and report on its activities to the plant's Citizen Liaison Committee. An independent facilitator will ensure the efficient functioning of the committee. The parties appointed Richard Loiselle, a former director of the École des pêches et de l'aquaculture du Québec as facilitator. In the event of a disagreement, the Honourable Jacques Blanchard was appointed as an independent mediator.
The Environmental Committee will be comprised of eight members; two citizens from the plant's impact zone (one of which is a member of the cement plant's Citizen Liaison Committee), a representative of the CREGIM, a representative of Nature Québec, a representative of the Centre d'initiation, de recherche et d'aide au développement durable (CIRADD), a representative of the ZIP Baie-des-Chaleurs committee, a representative of the Conseil de l'eau Gaspésie-Sud and a representative of McInnis Cement. A professional from the Ministry of Sustainable Development, Environment and the Fight against Climate Change (MSDEFCC) will also be invited to attend meetings.
Following the mediation process, McInnis Cement reiterated its commitment to use biomass to substitute a significant portion of its fuel requirements. It committed US$470,957 over the next three years towards feasibility or technical studies and projects to reduce GHG. McInnis Cement also confirmed its commitment to use selective non-catalytic reduction (SNCR) technology to reduce emissions from the plant and comply with NESHAP standards. As for the impacts on aquatic fauna, the committee will follow-up on the commitments agreed to in the protocol signed with DFO.
Quebec to approve McInnis Cement’s Port-Daniel-Gascons plant without environmental review
20 February 2015Canada: Former Quebec premier Pauline Marois has announced the go-ahead of McInnis Cement's cement plant project in Port-Daniel-Gascons, Gaspé. Opposition parties and environmentalists have slammed the Couillard government for approving the US$1.1bn project without a review by Quebec's environmental bureau. The McInnis Cement plant could top the list of industrial polluters in the province.
The provincial government plans to exempt the project from an assessment by the Bureau des Audiences Publique sur l'Environnement (BAPE), Quebec's advisory office of environmental hearings. The company has said that the project shouldn't be subject to an environmental review because it was submitted in May 1995, a month before the law requiring such an assessment came into effect.
In 2014, the Marois government announced that Quebec would invest US$350m in the project. The plant will release 1.7Mt/yr of greenhouse gases (GHG), according to an evaluation by a Canadian engineering consultant firm. The greenhouse gas output would make it the top industrial polluter in Quebec.
Agreement between McInnis Cement and the Centre québécois du Droit de l’Environnement (CQDE)
19 February 2015Canada: McInnis Cement has reached an agreement with the Centre québécois du Droit de l'Environnement (CQDE) regarding the proceedings filed in August 2014 against the Environment Minister, aimed at invalidating McInnis Cement's authorisation certificate for its cement plant project in Port-Daniel–Gascons. McInnis Cement and the CQDE have agreed to create an environmental subcommittee and to pursue discussions in a mediation process that will address three issues:
1. The monitoring of greenhouse gases (GHG) from the cement plant and McInnis Cement's efforts to reduce GHG;
2. The monitoring of McInnis Cement's performance in complying with the National Emission Standards for Hazardous Air Pollutants (NESHAP) standards with regards to the emission of contaminants;
3. The monitoring of McInnis Cement's compliance with the protocol agreed to with Fisheries and Oceans Canada concerning the protection of marine mammals.
In addition to the CQDE, the Conseil régional de l'Environnement de la Gaspésie-Îles-de-la-Madeleine and Nature-Québec have been invited to the mediation process, as well as the Ministère du Développement durable, de l'Environnement et de la Lutte aux Changements climatiques. The work of the enlarged forum will ensure a long-term dialogue around the future cement plant and is part of McInnis Cement's sustainable development values.
"From day one of Lafarge's filing of the request, McInnis Cement stated that it was a maneuver to slow the arrival of a competitor in the market. The withdrawal of the environmental groups is leaving Lafarge alone in the legal proceedings and highlight its non-competitive purpose," explained Christian Gagnon, CEO of McInnis Cement. "McInnis Cement is aware of its carbon footprint and is committed to gradually reducing its GHG. In this context, we choose the path of dialogue, opting for a mediation with environmental groups about this global issue," said Gagnon.
New appointments at McInnis Cement
18 February 2015Canada: Alexandre Rail has been appointed as plant manager of McInnis Cement's Port-Daniel-Gascons plant in Gaspé. Rail brings with him 15 years of experience in heavy industry. He joins the company from ArcelorMittal, where he served as a Steel plant manager for seven years.
"We are pleased with our recruitment of an experienced manager in the heavy industry who shares our values in the areas of health and safety, environment and quality. Rail has proven abilities to mobilise employees," said Christian Gagnon, CEO of McInnis Cement. "Rail's family comes from Gaspé, so he is undoubtedly happy to relocate to that region and eager to contribute its local economic development."
McInnis Cement has also named Mark T Newhart as vice president of Logistics and Distribution and as a member of the company's management team. He will develop an efficient distribution network, with responsibility for transport management and marine terminals. Newhart will report to Jim Braselton, senior vice president of Commerical and Logistics.
"With his 30 years of experience in logistics, which includes 20 years in the cement industry, the addition of Mark to our management team is a major milestone," said Gagnon. "Since our business model is based on marine transportation of our products, Newhart's expertise in transportation and marine terminal management will be beneficial for our organisation."
With Newhart's appointment, McInnis Cement's management team is now complete. It comprises: Christian Gagnon as CEO; André Racine as senior vice president of Corporate Development and Legal Affairs; Jim Braselton as senior vice president of Commercial and Logistics; Gaétan Vézina as senior vice president of Operations; Claude Ferland as CFO; Mark T Newhart as vice president of Logistics and Distribution; Marc Lachapelle as senior director of Human Resources; Maryse Tremblay as director of Communications and Corporate Social Responsibility. McInnis Cement has also announced the relocation of its corporate office in downtown Montreal.
LafargeHolcim Canada divestments affected by McInnis cement plant
21 November 2014Canada: Efforts by Lafarge and Holcim to sell assets as part of their planned merger may be complicated by the new McInnis cement plant in Canada, which some claim will inject more capacity into an already saturated market and further depress prices.
McInnis Cement's plant in the northeastern Quebec region of Gaspé will have 2.2Mt/yr of installed cement production capacity and may start shipping to clients in two years, according to Jim Braselton, a senior vice president at the company. That represents about 66% of the local cement capacity that Lafarge and Holcim plan to sell. The assets for sale, including construction and aggregates units, have an estimated value of US$884m, excluding the impact of increased supply by the McInnis plant.
McInnis Cement awards 6000t/day cement plant contract to ThyssenKrupp Industrial Solutions (USA)
13 November 2014Canada: ThyssenKrupp Industrial Solutions and McInnis Cement have announced a sales/purchase agreement valued at US$133m for the manufacture and supply by ThyssenKrupp Industrial Solutions (USA) of a complete cement production line.
The new 6000t/day capacity plant is currently under construction on a greenfield site in the Port-Daniel-Gascons area of Quebec, Canada. The new plant will be complete with a POLCID proprietary process control system to monitor and control all aspects of the plant and a POLAB laboratory automation system to assure product quality. The plant is scheduled for commissioning in 2016 with full production starting later in that year.
"The McInnis Cement project represents the most technologically advanced and environmentally sound plant of its kind, designed to meet or beat the most stringent requirements of both the Canadian and American environmental agencies," said Mark S Terry, president of the resource technologies division of ThyssenKrupp Industrial Solutions (USA). "Combined with the extensive experience of both project teams, we have the complete recipe for success for the Port-Daniel-Gascons facility.''
The main components include: a 1800t/hr quarry crushing plant, a raw material reclaim system comprises a bridge reclaimer for limestone and four portal reclaimers for other additives or fuel, a QUADROPOL vertical roller mill for raw grinding and a blending silo for raw meal storage, with a capacity of 10000t. The Polysius kiln line will consist of a five-stage, two-string PREPOL AS-MSC preheater, a 5.2m x 75m POLRO rotary kiln and a POLYTRACK cooler with intermediate roll crusher. Cement grinding will take place in two QUADROPOL vertical roller mills with SEPOL high-efficiency separators. The plant will be rounded off with three cement silos (with a capacity of 120,000t) as well as cement truck and ship loading facilities.