McInnis Cement and ACF - St Elzear sign biomass agreement

McInnis Cement and the Forestry Cooperative Association-St Elzear (ACF-St Elzear) 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.

"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," he added.

Forest biomass is a fuel source in abundant supply in Gaspésie. McInnis Cement requires a local long-term quality source of supply at competitive costs, according to the cement producer. ACF - St Elzear is capable of supplying forest residues, wood chips, sawdust, shavings and bark whose utilisation by the cement plant would be beneficial, the company adds.

"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 ACF – St. Elzear. "The success of a fruitful partnership between McInnis and our organization would be a big boost to our industry. The situation is complex since, beyond availability, sources of supply need to be guaranteed over the long-term, and quality and prices must remain competitive, including product transportation and processing costs," he concluded.

McInnis Cement is building a 2.2Mta cement plant in the municipality of Port-Daniel-Gascons, in Gaspésie.