LafargeHolcim completed a multi-million-dollar modernization project that restored and expanded a cement terminal at its Weirton, W.Va., facility. The site, which had been inactive for 10 years, will now be used to store and distribute the company’s specialty well cements for the oil and gas industry in the Appalachian region.
“We have made a significant investment in the Weirton terminal in direct response to the growing needs of our energy industry customers. Demand for access to our oil well cement has increased dramatically, yet existing distribution channels had grown congested,” said Jamie M. Gentoso, CEO of U.S. cement operations. “LafargeHolcim can now meet and exceed our customers’ needs with this efficient, state-of-the-art terminal that will support the growing energy industry in this region for many years to come.”
The revitalization included expansion of the site, construction of a new water-based, off-loading facility, and restoration of silos. In the process of revamping the site, LafargeHolcim collaborated with the Army Corps of Engineers, the West Virginia Department of Commerce, the Business Development Corporation of the Northern Panhandle and the local community. In addition, the company worked closely with the West Virginia Department of Environmental Protection and Environmental Protection Agency to assure all operating and environmental permits were in place.
“Our goal is to build a diverse and expanding economy in the Brooke-Hancock region. To have a site this size in the Ohio River Valley, just off a major interchange and four-lane highway, is a great reflection of how we can mobilize the power of a community,” said Patrick Ford, executive director of Business Development Corp. “With the help of our partners, we are prepared to make infrastructure improvements that will catalyze this site and the surrounding area for a variety of exciting projects.”
As part of this collaboration, LafargeHolcim has been granted additional funding for surrounding site infrastructure improvements and build-out through the conditional grant program known as the West Virginia Industrial Access Road Program.
“We’re pleased to partner with the people of West Virginia to drive business growth, and we’re confident this terminal will serve as a hub of economic activity for Weirton and the surrounding area,” said Gentoso. “This upgrade has provided business to area contractors, added jobs at Weirton, and supports the energy industry so vital to the economy of West Virginia.”
