Lafarge Cement Plant

Spring 2019 -  We received a response to our formal statement of concern for Lafarge’s Low Carbon Fuel project.  Lafarge’s response generally answered our questions and they have agreed to meaningful continuous improvement as part of the 2019 permit renewal process.  Based on this, BVCAS withdrew our formal statement of concern. 

In February 2019, Lafarge announced they were successful in receiving a grant for $10 million from Emissions Reductions Alberta for their Low Carbon Fuel Project.  Our review of all of the projects that received funding from the Alberta government ranks the Lafarge Low Carbon Project as one of the lowest cost per tonne projects that the government funded (estimated at less than about $10/tonne).  This would indicate that the Lafarge project is one of the better candidates to invest in low carbon technology.

Lafarge has created a “Project Advisory Committee” which includes BVCAS along with other environmental groups, researchers, government and municipality representatives. The Project Advisory Committee is tasked with reviewing low carbon fuel alternatives for the plant. We feel that this is a worthwhile effort for BVCAS given that Lafarge Exshaw is ranking the 52^nd largest industrial emitter in Canada while burning natural gas (emissions data from the Canadian government's GHG reporting program).  If Lafarge were to burn coal, we estimate that the Exshaw plant would be the 26^th largest industrial emitter. 

Baymag

Spring 2018 - during the last renewal application for Baymag in 2016, BVCAS submitted a formal Statement of Concern with regard to Baymag’s permit renewal application.  To address our concerns, Baymag agreed to a number of continuous improvements with their renewal.  They agreed to reduce their permitted emissions from their two main stacks by 50%, they will replace an open conveyor with a closed conveyor, they will implement a dust management plan and they will pave some of the dusty roads in their facility. These were written into the permit renewal.  As a result of these improvemnets, BVCAS withdrew our statement of concern.

Baymag Exshaw is the 243^th largest emitter according to the Canadian government's GHG reporting program.

Graymont

Spring 2018 -  Early in 2016, BVCAS submitted a formal "statement of concern" in regards to Graymont’s application for an Ore Sorter Project.  The ore sorter project will result in a slight increase in emissions of particulates.  BVCAS’s position was that (1) any increase, even small, is not consistent with Alberta Environment’s continuous improvement policy and (2) if the emissions increase are so small, surely Graymont can do something equally as small to ensure that the emissions do not increase.  In follow-up meetings with Graymont, Graymont committed to studying and then implementing best available technology (likely a filter baghouse or better) for dust control on Kiln 1 (Kiln 2 already has a baghouse).  As a result of this commitment and after confirming that this commitment had been written into the draft approval for the project, BVCAS removed our "statement of concern".

Graymont Exshaw is the 244^th largest emitter according to the Canadian government's GHG reporting program.