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Professor Arezki Tagnit-Hamou at the Concrete Infrastructure Research Center from the University of Sherbrooke.
The Ciment Québec plant, located in Saint-Basile, in the Portneuf region, has invested nearly $150 million to modernize its facilities, thanks in particular to a contribution from Quebec of $46 million.
On the other hand, the Joliette cement plant is known for its outdated infrastructure. It is reportedly about to be sold and the new owner will need to invest funds to bring the facilities up to date.
The controversial McInnis cement plant, in Gaspésie, on the other hand, has recent installations, but all sectors combined, it is the Quebec factory which produces the most greenhouse gases, nearly 1.4 million tonnes in 2022.
In an email sent to Radio-Canada, the spokesperson for the McInnis cement plant, Lyse Teasdale, affirms that the company intends to respect the targets imposed by the government and that it will produce a roadmap by May 1.
Like Lafarge, the cement plant is exploring alternative ingredients and has already integrated a greater quantity of raw limestone into 80% of its production.
McInnis is also considering another option: using low-carbon fuels to power his furnaces. The company also plans to request a permit this year to use biomass, a material which would come largely from Gaspé forests.
An initiative announced several years ago, recalls environmental activist Pascal Bergeron, also spokesperson for the Gaspé organization Environnement Vert Plus.
He notes that the use of carbon-neutral alternative fuels could reduce GHG emissions by 10 to 20%.
This would be a marginal gain, but not negligible, according to Professor Arezki Tganit-Hamou, because current fuels are often very polluting.
These are mainly fossil fuels such as oil or coal, but also industrial waste such as used oil, construction residues or tires.
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The Saint-Constant cement plant uses 80% fossil fuels to heat its ovens and 20% recycled industrial products such as tires.
Carbon capture is another option regularly mentioned by the industry. Technologies exist, but profitability is far from assured, according to Mr. Tagnit-Hamou, who expects very high storage and transport costs. This is why he would rather favor reduction at source.
As is often the case in the fight against GHGs, one of the most obvious solutions remains to reduce consumption. This is the crux of the matter, according to the researcher.
He also invites architects and engineers to prioritize models that require a smaller quantity of cement, that is- i.e. slender structures and the use of more efficient concrete.
A point of view shared by Pascal Bergeron. He would like to see the adoption of a concrete exit plan in Quebec. This is the role of politics, he says, and it is the job that is not being done at the moment.
If we don't intervene upstream on consumption, we will never solve the problem.
A quote from Pascal Bergeron, spokesperson for the organization Environnement Vert Plus
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Environmental activist Pascal Bergeron.
Moreover, Mr. Bergeron believes that the carbon exchange would already make it possible to force cement factories to reduce their GHG emissions.
The problem, he maintains, is that the Quebec government offered them a special status with very low royalties, the objective being not to penalize them in the face of foreign competition.
With the business model that we are being offered, private business will self-regulate, deplores Pascal Bergeron.
Faced with Quebec's laxity, its expectations are now limited. He regrets that the government is asking cement companies to present their own game plan by May, rather than imposing coercive measures.
Will this do anything? Are there really going to be consequences? he asks. We find this to be quite unconvincing.
In the coming months, Quebec intends to establish thresholds for x27;GHG emissions for cement plants and, in the event of non-compliance, there will be significant financial consequences, assures Mélina Jalbert, press secretary to the Minister of the Environment Benoit Charette.
Quebec is targeting, by 2030, a 37.5% reduction in GHG emissions compared to their 1990 level and carbon neutrality for 2050.
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