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Lafarge Canada to partially power Exshaw plant with wind power

Lafarge Canada will soon begin producing greener cement at its Exshaw plant, following a Purchase Power Agreement (PPA) with TransAlta Corporation, a Calgary-based electricity company.

As part of its commitment to increase the use of renewable sources in place of traditional fossil fuels, Lafarge will maximize this PPA to supply 100 GWh per year of wind power to the Exshaw cement plant.

“We are proud to have partnered with TransAlta to deliver wind energy to the Exshaw cement plant,” said Brad Kohl, president and CEO of Lafarge Western Canada. “Cement manufacturing is an energy-intensive process, and we are considering all levers available to supply our operations with power from renewable sources of energy.”

The PPA will cover about 25 per cent of Exshaw’s energy demands, depending on actual production volumes at the cement plant in 2022 and 2023.

“TransAlta is pleased to provide competitive retail electricity solutions to our customers, like Lafarge, that can include power from our existing renewable assets in Alberta,” said Blain van Melle, Executive Vice President, Alberta Business at TransAlta.

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Lafarge is in the final planning stages of its low carbon fuel project at Exshaw, which will support a lower specific net CO2 per tonne of cement produced. The PPA with TransAlta provides electricity for this project.

“This agreement, a first of its kind for Lafarge in Alberta, is an important step to utilizing higher amounts of renewable electricity at our facilities,” adds Cailee Ellis, head of sustainability and environment of Lafarge Western Canada.

Demand for cement and concrete continues to expand across Canada, and the organization is committed to meeting that need as sustainably as possible, says Kohl.

“We can support renewable electricity development and low carbon fuel projects, with innovative cement mixes to maximize our emissions reductions,” he says. “It’s essential for us to meet the needs of our communities while building sustainably for future generations.”