Holcim staged a formal ground-breaking March 24 for its Ste. Genevieve Project, a massive cement mill on a 4,000-acre, Mississippi River-front site in southeast Missouri. The Ste. Genevieve Project was announced in 1999 and faced challenges from groups claiming environmental and community concerns. It will meet one of the lowest emission limits to date for a U.S. cement plant. Holcim will set aside a permanent 2,200-acre buffer area — more than 55% of the property's total acreage — and confining active quarrying to 200 acres.

“We have always known this plant represents the best opportunity to make high-quality cement, right here in the Midwest, in an environmentally sound way,” says Holcim (US) CEO Patrick Dolberg.

“This project will provide opportunities for hundreds of hard-working folks, while demonstrating stewardship of our natural resources,” says Sen. Jim Talent (R-Mo.). “This is a great example of what can get done when people work together.”

The ground-breaking followed preliminary site work. In mid-2006, Holcim expects to issue a request for proposals on the next phase of the three-year job. At the peak of activity, as many as 1,000 workers will be involved in construction. When the Ste. Genevieve Project begins operations in 2009, it will employ approximately 200 and have an annual clinker capacity of 4 million metric tons.