Cement deal binds Tilbury with Cemex

The plans, which have now been approved,are for a 1.2m tonne facility due to be up and running in just over a year.

The main product to be manufactured will be CEM3, a blend of traditional cement and slag.

The reduced clinker content of this product means that carbon dioxide emissions during manufacture are reduced by 50%. At Tilbury this will mean a saving of 600,000 tonnes of CO2 a year, says Cemex. The company is building the plant in order to meet demand for cement in the construction of the London Olympics facilities, and in the Thames Gateway regeneration programme.

Speaking at the signing ceremony, Forth Ports chief executive Charles Hammond praised the smooth way in which the Cemex plans had made their way through the planning process, and Thurrock council’s “can-do”attitude.

But he also reminded guests, who included Niall Lindsey, chief executive of the Thames Gateway Development Corporation, that Tilbury would need room to expand in the future. Forth Ports has invested nearly £150m in Tilbury since buying the port in 1995.