Hanson Cement seeks early approval for mill installation

Hanson Cement (HeildebergCement group) could start work this year on a GBP20m investment in a new giant mill that will secure nearly 100 jobs, reports Daily Post.

The company is upgrading its Padeswood cement plant in Flintshire to guarantee its long-term future of the plant. The plan is to mothball three of the old mills and install a new vertical roller mill capable of grinding up to 650,000tpa of clinker. The Padeswood plant currently has four operational mills but they are old and inefficient. In addition, they do not have the capacity to grind the volume of clinker made by the kiln, creating a production backlog.

The vertical roller mill for cement grinding will improve efficiency, reduce energy consumption and increase output. The new mill will be fully enclosed in a building, minimising noise and reducing the potential for escape of cement dust.

Hanson is also planning to invest in new rail loading facilities to allow cement to be delivered by train, reducing lorry movements.The project also includes construction of new cement silos alongside the existing railway line to load trains for delivery. At present, the rail link is used to bring in coal to fire the kilns. In future, three trains a week will be despatched to Hanson’s depots in London, Bristol and Scotland – around 15 per cent of total cement production.

A planning application submitted to Flintshire County Council could see construction work could begin later this year with the new mill fully operational by early 2019.