UK-based Tarmac has announced plans to modernise its plant in Dunbar, Scotland. The proposal, submitted for approval to the East Lothian Council, includes the addition of a grinding unit, storage silo and a rail loading facility.

"These plans will help us take the Dunbar cement operation onto another level in terms of efficiency and use of the rail network for transportation across Scotland and England," said Oliver Curtin, plant manager.

The company expects a response from the planning authority over the coming weeks.

"Planning permission would enable the company to incorporate the latest technology to deliver several benefits, including an increase in the proportion of cement it exports from the site by rail; a reduction in energy use; and the ability to produce a finer cement which will be used in a higher strength concrete for large-scale infrastructure projects," the company said in a statement.