Holcim launch Europe’s first calcined clay cement operation

Company to deliver up to 500,000 tonnes of low-carbon calcined clay cement per year

HOLCIM have launched Europe’s first calcined clay cement operation at their Saint-Pierre-la-Cour plant, in France, to deliver ECOPlanet green cement with a 50% lower CO2 footprint compared with standard cement (CEM I).

The advanced production line, a world first, running on Holcim’s proprietary proximA Tech technology, will produce up to 500,000 tonnes of low-carbon cement per year. Its sustainable operations are powered by 100% biomass-based alternative fuels and waste heat recovery systems, making the manufacturing of calcined clay nearly carbon free and ultra-efficient.

Miljan Gutovic, Holcim’s region head for Europe, said: ‘The opening of the first calcined clay cement production line in Europe is another milestone in our mission to decarbonize construction. We are scaling up our calcined clay cements across all regions by 2025, to advance our ECOPlanet range of low-carbon cement, making low-carbon construction possible at scale.’

The project, which is part of Holcim’s European roadmap to decarbonize construction with a broad range of low-emission materials – from calcined clay to construction and demolition waste, received financial support from the French government, as part of the ‘France Relance’ scheme investing in large-scale decarbonization and energy-efficiency initiatives in France.