Czech Republic's First Calcined Clay Line Operational: Holcim Invests Approximately CZK 1 Billion

en.Wedoany.com Reported - On September 3, Holcim commissioned a new calcined clay production line at its Čížkovice cement plant in the Czech Republic, marking the first dedicated line of its kind in the country. The total investment amounts to approximately CZK 1 billion, equivalent to around CHF 40 million, representing Holcim's largest single investment in the Czech Republic to date. Of this, CZK 330 million was supported by the Czech Ministry of the Environment's Modernisation Fund.

The new line is designed to produce more than 115,000 tonnes of calcined clay annually, with raw materials sourced from Holcim's own local quarry. The line utilizes Holcim's proprietary process to partially replace cement clinker with calcined clay, which is then used to produce ECOPlanet low-carbon cement. According to the company's announced capacity plans, the line can support the annual supply of approximately 580,000 tonnes of ECOPlanet cement to the market, with the carbon footprint of the related products reduced by around 30% compared to traditional formulations.

Construction of the project began in 2024, and it was consistently listed as a key expansion project in Holcim's 2024 and 2025 annual reports, with the original plan targeting completion in 2026. Following this official commissioning, the Čížkovice project has transitioned from the construction phase to actual production. Holcim previously built Europe's first dedicated calcined clay production line in Saint-Pierre-la-Cour, France, and commissioned another large-scale line in Guayaquil, Ecuador, in 2025.

Holcim is currently expanding the application of calcined clay across multiple cement sites in Europe, Latin America, and North Africa. According to company data, calcined clay cement had previously been produced at nine plants; with the new line in Čížkovice now operational, its dedicated calcined clay capacity has been further increased. Holcim expects calcined clay cement production to reach 1 million tonnes in 2026.