Ecocem venture may speed up EU cement decarbonisation by a decade

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The new line will be operational by 2026, providing an initial annual production capacity of 300,000 tonnes of ACT.

The expansion and upgrade will increase the plant’s production capacity to over 1 million tonnes per year, strengthening the company’s position in France and export regions.

Ecocem said the venture further reinforces Ecocem’s commitment to delivering a technology capable of drastically reducing cement carbon emissions cost effectively within this decade.

A €50m joint venture between Ecocem and limestone supplier CB Green, a division of Groupe CB, the new production line is predicted to deliver a 70 per cent reduction in the CO2 footprint of cement compared to the average footprint of cement in Europe, accelerating cement decarbonisation for Dunkirk, the Hauts-de-France Region, France, and the European Union by up to a decade, based on current industry forecasts.

Funded through a Green Loan by EthiFinance and supported by both the French government and local authorities, with a €3.6 million grant under the France 2030 programme, Ecocem Group MD and founder Donal O’Riain said the public funds will enable Ecocem and CB Green to ensure the first commercial production and delivery of ACT.

“The industrialisation of our ACT technology marks an historic turning point for the cement industry,” he said. “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 per cent of global emissions – without compromising quality and performance, or significantly increasing costs.

“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.” A major advance in cement decarbonisation, ACT delivers decarbonisation by harnessing the use of locally available alternative materials, known as supplementary cementitious materials (SCMs), while ensuring the required performance characteristics for any concrete made with it – namely durability, workability, mechanical strength, and cost-performance. ACT is a proprietary technology that utilises a specific blend of minerals and additives combined with optimised particle size distribution.

It can be produced at almost all existing cement plants without significant investments or modifications and does not require changes in construction practices.

ACT technology has already been used in over 20 pilot projects in France, Belgium, and the UK. It has obtained a European Technical Assessment (ETA) in Brussels and is undergoing certification by France’s CSTB (Scientific and Technical Centre for Building in France). Concrete made with ACT technology demonstrates the performance required by any concrete it is used to make, paving the way for significant construction decarbonisation.