CRH plc, the international
building materials group, has announced that its Irish subsidiary, Irish Cement
Limited, is commencing a €200 million investment project to modernise its
Platin Cement Works near Drogheda in Ireland.
The new plant – CRH’s largest ever single investment in Ireland –
comprises a new kiln line and milling facility and will replace the older of
the two existing kilns. It will increase the cement capacity of Platin Works
from approximately 2 million tonnes to 2.8 million tonnes and will ensure that
adequate supplies of cement are available in Ireland for the future.
Platin Works has been in operation since 1972 and has been both the primary
source of cement in Ireland for the past 30 years and a major employer in the
Drogheda area. The new plant is expected to be commissioned in late 2008 and
will secure continuing employment in the cement industry in Drogheda, where
CRH began producing cement in 1938.
The investment will create an ultra-modern, energy efficient plant, meeting
world best practice emissions standards. It will also facilitate the production
of environmentally friendly cements with lower carbon intensity.
Commenting on these developments, Liam O’Mahony, CRH Chief Executive,
said: “This major project is a clear sign of CRH’s commitment to meeting
the long-term needs of an expanding Irish economy and construction sector, through
ongoing investment in state-of-the-art production facilities across the wide
range of its activities”.