Lafarge North America Inc hosted a groundbreaking event on Friday for the multi-million dollar modernisation project at its Ravena cement plant in New York. 

The modernisation project entails the construction of new plant facilities and the installation of a preheater/precalciner kiln, with a wet scrubber and selective non-catalytic reduction technologies for major emissions reductions and continuous air quality monitoring.

Completion is scheduled for 30 June 2016. When the new facilities are complete, the existing Ravena plant will be taken offline.

Speaking at the ceremony, John Stull, Lafarge US, president and CEO, said: “Lafarge is committed to investing hundreds of millions of dollars to modernise the Ravena cement facility because we are committed to competing in the US market in an environmentally responsible way.

 “New York is an advantageous location for Lafarge. This is an opportunity to better serve customers in this market and allow us to continue contributing to building better cities and communities across the region.” 

Lafarge Ravena’s product is in demand supplying several high profile projects in the Northeast including the new Freedom Tower and the World Trade Center Memorial in New York City and the Global Foundries plant located in Malta, New York.

After an extensive review process, the plant modernisation project received widespread support from the public, advocates, and community and business leaders. In late 2013, Lafarge was granted an extension of the project timeline by the United States Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA) and New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC).

Friday’s event was attended by a number of national, state and local elected officials and regional leaders, who supported the project and helped at the groundbreaking ceremony.

“The Capital Region has long been home to innovative thinking that shifts and improves existing strategies on how business is done,” said Paul Tonko, United States Congressman. “I believe that, working with Lafarge and local leaders, we can put people back to work, invest in our region, and modernise existing manufacturing practices for a more sustainable outcome for both the product and the community. The facility being replaced has been a fixture in Ravena and Albany County for many years and I am happy to see Lafarge choose to continue their operations for another generation and welcome this new facility and its workforce to our area.”

State Senator Cecilia Tkaczyk said: "Lafarge's Ravena cement plant is an economic driver for this region, providing more than 100 well-paid jobs, and supporting our local schools and governments. And by planning to invest hundreds of millions of dollars to modernise the plant and make it one of the most environmentally friendly cement plants in the world, Lafarge has also demonstrated that they are good neighbors who want to have a positive impact in their community."

Assemblyman Lopez concluded: “I believe everything flows from maintaining a strong economy.  If our businesses and farms succeed, we succeed and our society prospers.  This is good news for the region.”