Set in the heart of the Canadian Rockies, the Exshaw plant was first constructed over a century ago. Today, it’s a showcase for the construction material industry’s most cutting-edge production technologies. Now the largest cement plant in Canada, the Exshaw project furthers LafargeHolcim’s capacity to serve markets across the western parts of the country and the Pacific Northwest.
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Firing up capacity with state-of-the-art upgrades
Construction at Exshaw began in 2013, with more than 600 contractor employees on site at the project’s peak. The team achieved a very strong safety record – the Group’s overarching value – hitting nearly three million hours without a lost time incident. The modernization effort centered around major kiln upgrades, as kilns are the heart of the cement-making process. This involved:
These upgrades enabled cement production capacity to increase by over 60%, from 1.3 million to 2.2 million metric tonnes per year. The project will also catalyze major economic and social benefits to the local community. Thanks to the expansion, an anticipated $1.2 billion economic impact will be a boon to the province of Alberta. Exshaw’s expansion will provide long term, good quality employment opportunities in the Bow Valley.
In line with the LafargeHolcim 2030 Plan – which articulates the Group’s efforts to improve the sustainability performance of our operations and sets quantitative targets – the benefits of the Exshaw modernization project also extend to the environment. The technology upgrades involved in the cement plant expansion led to the following improvements in air quality:
The expansion also resulted in reduced fuel, power and water consumption, zero water discharge and quieter equipment. The Exshaw cement plan is certified by Canada’s Wildlife Habitat Council’s Conservation Program and will continue to engage in initiatives that improve habitats for native species.
As part of the expansion project, Lafarge Canada built a storage hall to house raw materials, protecting them from wind and weather, and reducing the spread of dust in the community. The EcoDome, named by the Bow Valley residents after a community contest, incorporates a stacker/reclaimer system that helps avoid bottlenecking in the cement production process while significantly improving the consistency and quality of the material.
Lafarge Canada Inc. is the country’s largest provider of solutions to the construction industry. With more than 6,000 employees, LafargeHolcim’s Canadian business produces and sells cement, ready-mix concrete, aggregates, asphalt, paving and construction, precast solutions and pipe products.
Lafarge Canada is committed to providing these solutions using sustainable manufacturing practices and improving the environment in and around its operations. At locations across Canada, it has worked to reduce carbon dioxide emissions, restore wetlands for native plants and animals, and identify waste materials that can be recycled and reused during operations.
For more information: www.lafarge-na.com
LafargeHolcim’s sustainability roadmap, The 2030 Plan
Sustainability has always been a part of who we are and how we want to do business. With the 2030 Plan, we are turning this core value into a set of actionable goals that are relevant to our customers’ and communities’ needs, while driving innovation and opening up new streams of products and solutions.
The Exshaw project is just one example of the Group’s commitment to cut its net CO2 emissions per tonne of cement and minimize our impact by improving efficiency.
