Lafarge wants to invest  in its cement plant in the southern Illinois town of Joppa. A spokesman for Lafarge North America says the company is seeking permits for the upgrade and expansion of its 1.3Mta integrated facility. The planned construction of two new state-of-the-art kilns would allow the plant to more than double its production to 3Mta. Construction could begin as early as late summer and would take about two and a half years to complete. The company says, once completed, the plant would add about 18 new permanent jobs.