Lafarge Exshaw project heading for approval, Canada

The proposed Lafarge Canada cement plant expansion application for Exshaw will go back to the Municipal District of Bighorn's planning commission today after being tabled last week for more information, according to reports in local newspaper, the Canmore Leader.

The application was discussed and dissected for more than two hours at the MPC meeting on July 18 before commission members voted to table it to this week.

The eight-day break gave the company and officials time to exchange additional information and discuss proposed conditions governing both the construction phase of the project, and how the plant will operate when the expansion and upgrading work is complete.

The break will also provide time to consider issues brought up at the meeting, such as whether there should be an accompanying application for expansion of the quarrying operation that feeds the plant, given that the plant expansion will provide for a 62 per cent capacity increase, and that over time, that should result in a corresponding increase in the volume of raw material extraction.

The expansion construction is scheduled to start this autumn with completion expected in 2015.