January 28, 2025 – Ecocem, Europe’s leading independent producer of low-carbon cement, announces the construction of its first production facility dedicated to ACT, its low-carbon, globally scalable cement technology, at its Dunkirk site. This new production line will be operational by 2026 and will initially provide an annual production capacity of 300,000 tons of ACT.
This expansion and upgrade will significantly increase the Dunkirk plant’s overall production capacity to over 1,000,000 tons per year, strengthening the company’s position in Northern France, the Paris area, and export regions. The expansion will sustain existing jobs and create new direct and indirect employment opportunities, beginning in 2025 in Dunkirk, a Regional Aid Zone (AFR) supported by the European Union.
Accelerating the production and deployment of ACT further reinforces Ecocem’s commitment to delivering a cost-effective technology capable of drastically reducing cement carbon emissions within this decade.
This new ACT production line at Dunkirk, a global first, is a joint venture between Ecocem in France and CB Green, a division of Groupe CB. It will achieve a 70% reduction in the CO2 footprint of cement (compared to the average footprint of cement in Europe) produced at the plant, and will accelerate cement decarbonization for Dunkirk, the Hauts-de-France Region, France, and the European Union by up to a decade, based on current industry forecasts.
In the first half of 2025, efforts will focus on installing the facility’s key component, the mill, which will produce the required fillers, as well as expanding blending and storage facilities for ACT. Construction will begin in early 2025, with the goal of delivering ACT to the market in the second half of 2026.
The support of French public authorities has been instrumental in funding the plant expansion, marking Ecocem’s first public funding since its founding in 2000. The total investment for the plant expansion is €50 million, funded through a bank loan classified as a “Green Loan” by EthiFinance and supported by both the French Government and local authorities. France 2030’s “Première Usine” (First Factory) Call for Projects awarded a €3.6 million grant. The France 2030 program aims to sustainably transform key economic sectors through technological innovation and position France as a global leader in tomorrow’s economy. Additional grants were provided by the Hauts-de-France Region and the Dunkirk Urban Community. These public funds will enable Ecocem and its partner and limestone supplier, CB Green, to ensure the first commercial production and delivery of ACT at Ecocem’s Dunkirk site.
Commenting on this significant milestone, Donal O’Riain, Founder and Managing Director of Ecocem Group, said:
“The industrialization of our ACT technology marks a historic turning point for the cement industry. Cement manufacturing processes have remained unchanged for 200 years; ACT represents a true technological breakthrough and an opportunity to rapidly decarbonize one of the world’s most polluting industries – responsible for nearly 8% of global emissions – without compromising quality and performance or significantly increasing costs.
The support of public authorities, particularly through France 2030, validates our vision and innovation capabilities. This is a major recognition for Ecocem and our ACT technology, which has received its first public funding since the company was founded in 2000.
By 2026, we will be able to offer the market a low-carbon solution deployable on an industrial scale. This advancement, supported by major industrial players and public authorities, positions France and Europe at the forefront of cement decarbonization.”
Developed over nearly a decade of intensive research, ACT is a major advance in cement decarbonization. It enables a 70% reduction in CO2 emissions compared to the European average for cement emissions. ACT achieves this by maximizing the use of locally available alternative materials, known as supplementary cementitious materials (SCMs), while maintaining the performance characteristics required for any concrete made with it—namely durability, workability, mechanical strength, and cost-performance.
ACT is a proprietary technology that uses a specific blend of minerals and additives combined with optimized particle size distribution. It can be produced at nearly all existing cement plants without requiring significant investments or modifications and does not require changes in construction practices.
ACT technology has already been used in more than 20 pilot projects in France, Belgium, and the UK. It has received a European Technical Assessment (ETA) in Brussels and is undergoing certification by France’s CSTB (Scientific and Technical Center for Building). Concrete made with ACT technology demonstrates the required performance standards, paving the way for substantial decarbonization in construction.
Ecocem’s Founder and Managing Director, Donal O’Riain, making the announcement in Dunkirk, France
Ecocem is a pioneer in high-performance technologies that significantly reduce CO2 emissions in the cement and construction sectors. Its innovative ACT technology reduces the overall carbon footprint of traditional cement manufacturing by more than 70%. For over 20 years, Ecocem has developed, manufactured, and supplied low-carbon cement and construction solutions across European markets. The company operates plants in France (Dunkirk and Fos-sur-Mer), the Netherlands, and Ireland, producing over 2 million tons of low-carbon cement and additives annually.
From the Grand Paris Express to Dublin’s Aviva Stadium and the HS2 high-speed rail line in the UK, Ecocem has helped achieve a cumulative reduction of over 18 million tons of CO2 emissions to date.
The companies aim to co-develop and deploy a version of ACT, Ecocem’s scalable low-carbon cement technology, optimized for application by TITAN.
Ecocem, Europe’s leading provider of low carbon cement technologies, today announces it has agreed a deal with Overslagbedrijf Moerdijk (OBM) to expand production and storage capacity in The Netherlands to accelerate bringing its ACT technology to market.