CHICAGO, Ill. – With the start of construction season approaching, Holcim US is making a landmark $20.5 million investment in its Midwest operations to make cement abundantly available for area residential, commercial and industrial developments. The recently added 116-foot cement storage dome in Fremont, Neb., west of Omaha, will expand capacity for Holcim’s leading low-carbon ECOPlanet cement, used in iconic developments such as the Seattle Spheres. The storage dome sits on 25 acres of land in Fremont and has capacity to store 50,000 tons of cement. Construction on the dome began in 2021, boosting local economic development and creating jobs at the terminal.H
“Nebraska, Omaha in particular, and nearby Midwest cities are experiencing an influx of construction projects, with new infrastructure being introduced every day,” said Patrick J. Cleary, senior vice president of Cement Sales at Holcim US. “We’re proud to meet this local demand with local operations in one location and to support sustainably made products.”
“Holcim and its products play an important role in state and local infrastructure,” said Fremont Mayor Joey Spellerberg. “The company’s investment in Fremont helps our community to continue to grow and the economy to expand.”
With the Fremont storage dome, Holcim is meeting the Nebraska Department of Transportation’s blended cement requirement to leverage the state’s natural aggregate. The cement blended on site and distributed at the Fremont terminal adds natural pozzolan, a binding agent, to create a lower carbon product than traditional Portland cement. The combination of extra storage with the addition of new more efficient rail capacity optimizes transportation between Fremont and Holcim’s flagship plant in Ste. Genevieve, Missouri–the largest single-line kiln in the world.
While Holcim is the leading producer of cement in the US, the company also is a leader in transforming the way it does business to reduce the carbon footprint of its operations and products. The Fremont announcement follows other milestone initiatives at Holcim to advance sustainable building, including a $100 million investment to increase capacity at Ste. Genevieve, its largest solar array in the Midwest, power purchase agreements and a tire-derived fuel facility.