Lafarge’s Spanish expansion on hold

Lafarge has opened an R&D laboratory for new types of cements for use in oil and gas wells at the Port of Sagunto in Spain. It is the first laboratory of this kind the company has in Europe and only the second it has globally. The laboratory will carry out the tests needed to simulate pressure, temperature and chemical conditions which cement will be subjected to at depths of 3,000-5,000m. As well as developing new cements, the laboratory will also provide technical assistance and support to customer needs.

Further negotiations with the Ministry has left the Spanish subsidiary of the French construction materials manufacturer confident of opening the Romeu quarry, in the Sagunto region, at some stage in 2012. Expanding its operations to new markets throughout the world, launching new products and investing in building new installations, are three other priorities for Lafarge Cementos over the next 12 months.

Lafarge has started an extensive consultation in the UK in a bid to expand its use of alternative fuels at its Hope Works site in Derbyshire. Under the scheme the company is hoping to us Processed Sewage Pellets (PSP) to improve environmental performance and control rising energy costs. PSP is made from the sludge that remains after sewage treatment. (Almost a million tonnes of this sludge is generated in the UK each year.) The sludge is then further heat-treated, making it as harmless as garden soil. In so