The plant will be Ecocem’s first factory dedicated to production of the new product, which it claims has the potential to deliver a “globally scalable 70% reduction” in the cement industry’s carbon footprint.
Ecocem says that ACT achieves this by maximising the use of locally available alternative materials, known as supplementary cementitious materials (SCMs), while ensuring the required durability, workability, mechanical strength, and cost of any concrete made with it.
ACT is a proprietary technology that uses a specific blend of minerals and additives combined with optimised particle size distribution. According to Ecocem it can be produced at almost any existing cement plant without significant investment or modifications and does not require changes in construction practices.
The new ACT plant will be built at Ecocem’s existing factory next to ArcelorMittal’s blast furnaces in Dunkirk, France. It will have the capacity to produce up to 300,000 tonnes of ACT annually, boosting the Dunkirk plant’s production capacity to more than a million tonnes per year.
The project is a joint venture between Ecocem in France and CB Green, a division of French minerals processing group Groupe CB.
The focus in the first half of 2025 will be on installing the mill, a key component that will produce the required fillers, as well as expanding blending and storage facilities for ACT.
Construction will begin in early 2025, with a view to delivering ACT to the market in the second half of 2026.
The total investment for the plant expansion is €50m (£42m), funded through a bank loan classified as a “Green Loan” by the EthiFinance agency and supported by both the French government and local authorities.
Ecocem Group founder and managing director Donal O’Riain said: “The industrialisation of our ACT technology marks a historic turning point for the cement industry. Cement manufacturing processes have remained unchanged for 200 years; ACT represents a true technological breakthrough and an opportunity to rapidly decarbonise what is one of the world’s most polluting industries – responsible for almost 8% of global emissions – without compromising quality and performance or significantly increasing costs.
“The support of public authorities, particularly through France 2030, validates our vision and innovative capability. This is a major recognition for Ecocem and our ACT technology, which has received its first public funding since the company was established in 2000.
“In 2026, we will be able to offer the market a low-carbon solution deployable on an industrial scale. This advancement, supported by major industrial players and public authorities, positions France and, more broadly, Europe at the forefront of cement decarbonisation.”
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