Lafarge will be allowed to delay the construction of new pollution control systems at its Ravena works in New York in exchange for an agreement to cut emissions more than previously planned.

Lafarge had previously reached a legal settlement with both state and federal officials to reduce emissions of NOx and SO2 emissions at its plants in Ravena and elsewhere in the state. Lafarge had agreed to replace two lines at the Ravena plant with a new state-of-the-art kilns by the end of 2015 with advanced pollution control measures.

However, the Times Union newspaper has reported that a new agreement announced on Tuesday means that Lafarge will have another 18 months to build the new kiln. It will also agree to lower its mercury emissions another 25 per cent and possibly lower SO2 and NOx emissions when the new kiln becomes operational.

Another major part of the agreement is that Lafarge has agreed to set up a US$2m fund to train workers if it decides to close the plant and not build the new kiln, the report added.