Colacem proposes new cement plant near L’Orignal quarry

Representatives from Colacem Canada presented their case for a new cement plant to Champlain Township council last month, saying it could be built next to the existing Bertrand rock quarry near L'Orignal within three years.

Colacem Canada has owned and operated the existing cement plant on Kilmar Road in Grenville-sur-la-Rouge since 2007, though its representatives were quick to distinguish it from the proposed plant in L'Orignal.

Neighbours of the Quebec-based plant have complained in recent months and years of the black dust emanating from the plant and the heavy truck traffic that accompanies it.

"The plant in L'Orignal will be developed with the standard that we have in Europe," Anthony Ciccone, an environmental consultant representing Colacem, told council. "The plant in Quebec, [Colacem] bought and inherited it. It's a fixer-upper; they had to bring it up to standard."

The proposed L'Orignal plant is "based on the European standards, which are more restrictive than in Ontario," he continued. "It's going to be the gold-standard of plants in Ontario."

The company's headquarters are based in Italy, where Ciccone said the cement plants are under stricter European law compared to Canada. He said the plant would maintain dust control using a hybrid electrostatic precipitator and fabric filters; store all raw materials in enclosures; make use of heat recovery and energy generation; and meet both Ontario and European environmental requirements.

The new plant would represent an investment of $225 million, a figure which bodes well for Champlain Township's economic development and job creation. Colacem forecasts 128 direct jobs, 82 indirect jobs and 90 trucking jobs could be created after the plant is built, for a total of 300 positions.

The company expects the plant to be a 24-hour, year-round operation with a daily capacity of about 3,000 tonnes and 120 trucks, which would enter the proposed site - located on 56 acres of land north of County Road 17 - between 7 a.m. and 7 p.m.

Following an open house evening with the public next Thursday, October 13, Colacem hopes to begin technical studies this winter season and submit its applications next spring. From there, reviews and public consultations could take place next summer, with the township's planning decisions to be made in the fall of 2012.

The company then anticipates the site plan approval and provincial permits could be secured by the winter of 2012, with construction to begin in 2013 and finish in 2014. Ciccone said the construction process would create about 200 jobs over two years, while the plant's creation would spawn $200 million in "annual local purchases" over a five- to six-year period.

He explained the proposed 56-acre site features a forested area to the north that could be used as a buffer zone between the waterfront residences on Bay Road, as well as a man-made ditch that would run water directly to the Ottawa River.

According to Colacem, a new crusher plant would be kept indoors in an enclosed area with a bag house, which would reduce the amount of external dust. Raw material would be taken from the neighbouring quarry, and the site would be paved to reduce dust from truck traffic. Trucks would access the site via County Road 17.

Ciccone said the plant would be regulated under the Ontario Ministry of Environment's particulate emissions laws, which is "essentially a license to construct, install and operate equipment that discharges into the environment." To get a certificate of approval, he added, "One must demonstrate that the equipment and the plant will not cause adverse impacts to the population and the environment."

The consultant said "it's not unusual" to have cement plants within communities in Ontario, or in Italy, and that the company would establish a community liaison committee to allow "the community to see how the company works." He said Colacem would ask for a site plan approval, a zoning amendment, and studies on environmental impacts, species at risk, significant woodlands, traffic, noise, dust, lighting, and so forth.

The new plant would feature stacks as tall as 70 metres. The company's plant in Quebec would remain in operation.

For more information, residents are asked to contact Moreno Capolli at 819-242-4312 ext. 275 or mo.capolli@financo.it. The open house will be held at the Knights of Columbus Hall at 1033 King St. in L'Orignal next Thursday, October 13 from 6 to 9 p.m.