Ireland-based Ecocem will open a new terminal at Runcorn, on the Manchester Ship Canal, to help the company import into the UK, and plans a second terminal later this year in the southeast of the country. The two terminals represent an investment of EUR5m.

The closure of steel plants and coal-based power stations in the UK has led to a decreased supply in key raw materials for blended cements such as Ecocem’s ground granulated blast furnace slag (GGBS) cement and together with a fall in UK cement production capacity have opened up opportunities for the Irish cement producer to supply its product to the neighbouring market. Ecocem said it already has received orders for 200,000t of product for the first year.

The terminal in the southeast will be supplied by its works in The Netherlands and Dublin. The company also operates a facility in Fos, southern France.