McInnis Cement and ACF - St. Elzear Sign Biomass Cooperative Agreement

PORT-DANIEL-GASCONS, QC, June 26, 2015 /CNW Telbec/ - McInnis Cement and the Forestry Cooperative Association - St. Elzear (ACF – St. Elzear) have announced the signing of a cooperative agreement to study the feasibility of using forest biomass as an auxiliary fuel for the cement plant under construction in Port-Daniel-Gascons.

The utilization of forest biomass as an alternative to fossil fuel would enable the McInnis cement plant to reduce its emissions of greenhouse gases (GHG). In order to take advantage of the reduction, McInnis Cement has provided the equipment necessary for the use of this resource at its new facility.

"We are pleased to establish this collaboration with the region's forest industry, in line with our GHG reduction plan," said Christian Gagnon, president and CEO of McInnis Cement. "Any operations that result from this agreement will be reviewed by the Environmental Committee, whose work began in April," he added.

Forest biomass is a fuel source in abundant supply in Gaspésie. McInnis Cement requires a local long-term quality source of supply at competitive costs. ACF - St. Elzear is capable of supplying forest residues, wood chips, sawdust, shavings and bark whose utilization by the cement plant would be beneficial.

"By studying the possibilities together, including from the outset the client's needs and the capabilities of potential suppliers, we are putting all the pieces in place to make this project a reality," said Sebastien Roy, executive director of ACF – St. Elzear. "The success of a fruitful partnership between McInnis and our organization would be a big boost to our industry. The situation is complex since, beyond availability, sources of supply need to be guaranteed over the long-term, and quality and prices must remain competitive, including product transportation and processing costs," he concluded.

ABOUT THE FOREST COOPERATIVE ASSOCIATION – ST. ELZEAR
ACF – St. Elzear is a forestry cooperative with integrated operations from forest to sawmill since 1944 in Baie-des-Chaleurs, whose mission is to establish a framework for cooperative development to provide, ensure and create stable jobs for its members.

ABOUT McINNIS CEMENT
McInnis Cement is building a cement plant representing one of the largest industrial projects currently under construction in eastern North America. The plant will have an initial production capacity of 2.2 million metric tonnes of cement per year. It is located in the municipality of Port-Daniel-Gascons, in Gaspésie. The site was selected because of the quality of its limestone deposit and the possibility to build a deep-water marine terminal. Thanks to its advanced technology, the Port-Daniel-Gascons facility will meet the most stringent environmental standards, making its ecological footprint one of the smallest in the cement industry. Information about the project is available on www.cimentmcinnis.com and Twitter @Ciment_McInnis.

SOURCE McInnis Cement