CalPortland announced the commissioning of a new finish cement grinding mill and distribution system at its Oro Grande, Calif., cement plant. The project is the culmination of the partial plant modernization program that was originally completed in 2008, prior to the acquisition of the facility by CalPortland from Martin Marietta Materials in 2015.
Started in January 2018, the $58.5M project was constructed by general contractor thyssenkrupp and sub-contractor TIC (The Industrial Company), in collaboration with CalPortland’s engineering services team. It includes the construction of a finish ball mill and two new cement shipping lanes with two new distribution silos.
“The addition of this modern finish mill and efficient distribution system allows the plant to operate to the best-in-class standards as originally designed. It will help provide the industry with the additional supply required for necessary rehabilitation and rapidly developing infrastructure in California and Nevada,” said Steve Regis, senior vice president corporate services, CalPortland.
The new mill restores shipping capacity of the Oro Grande plant to its original design. This development brings an additional 64 percent in total production capacity directly to the Oro Grande plant, which provides several types of cement to the California and Nevada construction markets.
The mill is a Polysius two compartment mill with production capability of 200 short tons per hour. It is equipped with the most advanced and efficient motor, mill and separator technology as well as the most efficient cement cooler design technology. The system also employs mechanical conveyance (bucket elevator) to convey finished product to the new silos, reducing an additional 500 hp of energy requirement.
