Ste. Gen cement plant gets final approval

STE. GENEVIEVE, Mo. -- Construction of a $600 million cement plant that has been delayed for years by environmental lawsuits will get underway within the next six months, company officials said Thursday.

Holcim, the U.S. unit of Switzerland-based Holcim AG, said feasibility and market studies indicate there is a demand for 4 million metric tons of cement the plant plans to produce annually in Ste. Genevieve County.

The plant, initially proposed in 2000, will employ about 1,200 workers during the peak of construction and provide 200 jobs after completion, company officials said. It will be built on 4,000 acres of land next to the Mississippi River.

"The Ste. Genevieve plant will allow us to provide a reliable source of quality cement produced in the middle of the U.S.," said Holcim president Patrick Dolberg.

Environmental groups had opposed the cement plant because of concerns about air pollution, mining and damage to wetlands. Holcim agreed in October to a $3 million settlement of lawsuits filed by those groups, with the money to go toward regional environmental projects.

Holcim also agreed to grant a conservation easement on nearly 2,000 acres over much of the plant's buffer area, which will prevent any new development on the land for a century.

The company said its new plant will be the largest in the nation. Production is expected to begin by 2009.