Several steps till cement plant decision

Media release

Several steps till cement plant decision

24 September 2009 – While a positive Environment Court outcome is one further step in the process to ensure continued long-term cement supply for New Zealand, there are still some important stages to work through before a final decision on whether a Holcim cement plant will go ahead in the Oamaru area.

Some of those steps are outlined in a Holcim newsletter being circulated this week to approximately 8,000 Oamaru residents and other key stakeholders. Among the steps is several months’ work still to be completed on the detailed costings, feasibility study and business case for the project, factoring in the conditions accepted by the Environment Court.

An Environment Court decision last month granted Holcim all consents required for its proposed cement plant near Weston. The consents were granted with a number of associated conditions covering a wide range of areas such as air emissions, water management, noise emissions, landscaping and planting, hours of operations, and traffic management.

“Having reviewed the 100 page Environment Court decision document, we feel that the conditions accepted by the Court are reasonable and workable and are based on the effects that technical experts say could result from the construction and operation of the proposed plant,” said Holcim Capital Projects Manager, Ken Cowie.

“Now that the Environment Court process is complete we understand that people are keen to know whether a cement plant will be built near Weston. This is however a very significant business decision and one which needs to be made in a careful and responsible manner.”

In the newsletter, growth in other aspects of Holcim’s operation is outlined, including the opening of a new concrete plant in Auckland, a joint venture concrete plant north of Christchurch, and acquisition of the operations of Kiwi Point Quarry in Ngauranga Gorge, Wellington. This year the company’s scholarship programme has also been extended, with tertiary education scholarships being offered in the Westport, Hastings and Franklin areas.

ENDS

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