False promises of cement factory

PORT-DANIEL – By selling the cement plant project in Gascons to Quebecars, Cement Mechanics says it has green solutions in hand. Seven years later, the man’s promises of becoming Quebec’s biggest polluter are still not stonewalled.

“It simply came to our notice then. This is clear from the beginning, “said Environment Minister Benoit Charett in an interview with our Bureau of Investigation.

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In the opposition, his party criticized a cement project backed by the party’s Cubacois (PQ) and the party’s Liberal du Quebec (PLQ).

Our analysis of recent data on greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions (2019), the details of which will be published on Saturday, shows that the Port-Daniel-Gascon cement plant in Gaspa continues its progress on the sad list of the largest pollutants, now it ranks fourth.

It crossed the one million ton GHz milestone per year equivalent to 317,000 cars per year.

And it was not finished: last year its production increased by 20%, this plant is the largest polluter of the province.

Since the Budoin-Bombardier family reopened the project in 2012, the cement plant has always been controversial. In addition to swallowed public funds, the plant has raised fears of being the most polluted in Quebec history. Furthermore, thanks to PQ and PLQ, the Office of Public Hearing (BAPE) was able to avoid an independent analysis on the environment.

Criticized, former CEO Christian Gagnon said the annual emissions of 1.76 million tonnes in 2014 were just the “worst” picture of a “never-ending umpla”.

He reiterated in 2016 that these figures were only “theoretical”.

However, this is a lie: the cement plant will reach this peak.

“This is the scenario when we reach our production capacity […]. It will always be transparent, ”said spokeswoman Mary Tremble, who declined to comment on the former CEO’s words.

The cement plant has been in operation since 2017, and is expected to reach full capacity in two years by 2023. At that time, the Montreal Metropolitan Express network emitted 2.5 times more CO2 into the atmosphere each year than all the GHGs missed by the train. 25 years.

And these figures are no longer “theoretical” because a project that uses forest residues (biomass) to reduce pollution, if it happens, is not planned for two or three years (See other text below).

This is not the only promise whose consequences are unknown: the cement plant has refused to answer many questions by initiating trade privacy.

The former CEO, for example, stated that the plant uses 33% less fuel per tonne of cement and 40% less energy than competitors in eastern North America. The company declined to say today whether this was true.

95% of its cement is promised to be transported by boat, which promotes more environment. She declined today to confirm the amount transported by land.

Food Microalgae’s project to divest cement plant carbon sequester and patents purchased. However, it is always looking for solutions and this project is one of the technologies studied.

The CEO said in 2016 that he was not interested in a government green fund in the short or medium term.

“Yes, there are commitments that have been made slowly to be honored,” Minister Charette agreed, explaining that he would provide them with programs that would help them in their green transition and that “the cement plant will never crush me”.

Christian Gagnan

Former CEO of Cement McInnis, September 25, 2014

“In the worst case scenario, 175,000 tonnes of petroleum coke would be consumed per year without any other fuel and 1.76 million tonnes of GHG emissions per year.

Reality

The cement plant plans to release 1.76 million tonnes of GHz per year in about two years and declined to say how much petroleum coke it uses. But according to the daily The sun, It is 200,000 tons.

David Hartel

Former Liberal Environment Minister, June 26, 2014

“What we understand is that, in the first year, yes, it will be done with fuels that lead to a significant proportion of greenhouse gas emissions, but subsequently, there will be the use of different fuels.”

Reality

Only petroleum coke is still used today.

Florence Gautier

Former spokesperson for Cement Mechanics, September 29, 2014

“We wonder where those who say we’re going to be the biggest polluter are coming from, that’s a lie […] From the second year, we are already moving towards biomass, towards alternative solutions. ”

Reality

Biomass has not yet been used, four years after the start of the cement plant, which will not last at least three years.

To justify the largest pollutant in Quebec history without BAPE analysis, the use of forest residues (biomass) as fuel is the most widely used argument by elected officials and the Cement McIntyre.

In an open letter published in all major media in 2014, Then CEO, Christian Gagnon said:

-Cement plant replaces 50% petroleum coke with forest biomass;

-This technology reduces the GHG emissions of a cement plant by 20%;

The cement plant did not reach the maximum of 1.76 million tonnes GHz due to the use of alternative fuels.

In a 2013 study by Promoter, the plant was said to have “ed” over 200,000 tons of biomass consumption.

Almost seven years have passed and none of these claims have come true.

Cement works still run on petroleum coke (fuel extracted from petroleum) and the biomass is still in the design stage, which has also been revised downwards.

We are only talking about 100,000 tons or 30% of fuel per year. This would reduce the GHG by 150,000 tons per year. If the total GHG emissions reach 1.76 million tonnes per annum, that is an 8% reduction and not 20% as promised by the former CEO.

However, spokeswoman Marys Tremble declined to confirm the number, saying “GHG emissions calculations are very complex and require an accredited auditor”.

Om^{To me} Tremblay adds that the use of biomass at a ratio of 40% is an “achievable” goal.

However, in August 2020 the company confirmed daily The sun 40% entry is not possible with current methods.

When asked to clarify this discrepancy, the spokesman declined to answer.

Even worse, with the acquisition of Brazilian group Votorantim Cementos last December, the project is no longer guaranteed.

“Everything is on the table and will be part of the biomass project discussions,” Ms.^{To me} Tremble.

She said in the same way that the team was “very interested and enthusiastic”. If the new owners decide to move on, it will take another two or three years for them to start using the tileings.

The former spokesperson, however, said that this green fuel would be used in 2014 from the second year.

Om^{To me} Tremble said it was “very ambitious” to suggest that the project was always planned when it reached full capacity (i.e. in 2023) and that it would happen in two or three years.