Cement is essential to modern life, but producing it is energy intensive, and for generations that energy has come from coal and petroleum coke. Across our network, Alternative Low Carbon Fuels (ALCF) are helping change that equation in a documented, regulated, and measurable way.
Through co-processing, our plants recover energy and mineral content from non-hazardous, non-recyclable industrial byproducts that would otherwise go to landfill. The result is a reduction in reliance on fossil fuels and a corresponding reduction in carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions at the source.
Every plant in the network is working toward lower-carbon clinker production, each at its own stage, operating under its own regulatory approvals, and reporting progress publicly. The Act with Ownership principle of Our VC Way holds us accountable for what we deliver, not what we intend.
The Bowmanville plant is replacing a share of its coal and petroleum coke with energy recovered from non-recyclable industrial byproducts through regulated co-processing, under Environmental Compliance Approvals (ECAs) issued by the Province of Ontario.
The St Marys plant began using Alternative Low Carbon Fuels in May 2024. The plant has processed 1,727 tonnes of wood and 29,235 tonnes of plastic as alternative fuels, materials diverted from landfill and recovered through regulated co-processing. The plastic alone represents the equivalent of the annual discarded plastic by 278,429 Canadians, based on Statistics Canada’s 2019 per-capita figure of 105 kilograms.
The plant also earned Natural Resources Canada’s ENERGY STAR for Industry certification in 2024, placing it in the top quartile for energy performance across Canada and the United States. After commissioning the alternative fuels system, the team identified and corrected idle energy use, recovering approximately 540,000 kilowatt hours and $52,000 in annual savings. Progress is reported at every quarterly Community Liaison Committee (CLC) meeting and published on the plant’s ALCF page.
Charlevoix leads the St Marys Cement network on alternative fuels adoption. Approximately 40 percent of the plant’s kiln energy now comes from alternative sources rather than coal or petroleum coke, through regulated co-processing of non-hazardous, non-recyclable industrial byproducts processed under strict environmental controls.
The McInnis plant co-processes non-recyclable industrial byproducts in place of a portion of traditional fossil fuels, recovering their energy and mineral content in the kiln while diverting materials from landfill. The plant has also completed a full transition to Portland Limestone Cement (PLC) across its product range, reducing the carbon intensity of its output independent of the fuel program.
The Badger Slag Cement grinding facility uses natural gas for its operations as a lower global warming potential equivalent compared to other traditional fossil fuels like petroleum and coal.
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