At the heart of the CertainTeed plant in Sainte-Catherine, not only is the usual production of gypsum panels taking place, but also a $126 million energy-efficient transition that will reduce the carbon emissions generated by the manufacturing process to zero. A first in North America, which brings its share of challenges.
In 2025, all equipment currently running on natural gas will be replaced by electric installations.
This involves designing a completely new production line, in a new building adjacent to the current building, the construction of which will be completed by the end of the year. Electrical tests will take place at the start of the year, for a first start-up phase around March. It will be the largest zero-carbon plasterboard installation in the world.
No less than 160 workers are working on the electrification and expansion of the factory. On the site, they work alongside the 125 employees who ensure that production runs smoothly.
From stone to panel
Once a month, a boat delivers stones to the grounds of CertainTeed, a subsidiary of the French multinational Saint-Gobain.
Stored in a store by truck, the stone then goes to the mill, which uses gas-fired crushers. The gypsum is calcined there to form plaster.
“There, we will abandon the existing building, to divert the flow into this new building, where we will produce the plaster using new equipment which will crush while calcining the gypsum,” explains Patrice Bouscal, electrification project manager. at CertainTeed.
Treated and crushed gypsum is mixed with water to form a liquid substance which is poured onto a production line. The substance is “sandwiched” between two sheets of paper which unroll to form a long panel.
“The line is “U” shaped. We make the shape of the plate, we go to the end of the factory, we come back and we go into the dryer, explains Mr. Bouscal. But when we have finished building the new electrically powered dryer, the line will change direction. At the end, it will turn right instead of left, to return via the new dryer. The plaques will be on 10 floors.”
The production line (Photo: Le Reflet – Denis Germain)
“There is a circulation of hot air: we dry the plate in three zones until the plate is dry enough so that it can go to the final zone where we can put it in packages,” he continues. .
The manufacturing process thus consists of creating a long sheet of gypsum which is cut, then sent for packaging.
A substation was built expressly to accommodate the 25 kilovolt electrical lines, coming from Delson, and the equipment which will power all of the electrical installations of the mill and dryer.
The substation (Photo: Le Reflet – Denis Germain)
Ultimately, the factory will be more productive not only because of the expansion of its facilities but also because the 50-year-old equipment will be replaced by technologies 30% more efficient.
Build the plane in flight
CertainTeed must ensure that this imposing project does not affect its production and does not cause repercussions for its customers.
Damien Clément, site director, uses the well-known metaphor of building a plane in mid-flight. “It creates special challenges, but it makes it interesting for us. It’s a lot of coordination on a daily basis. It’s a great challenge,” he admits.
“Guaranteeing access is one of the first challenges we had,” adds Patrice Bouscal. To allow access to operations for the arrival of raw materials, [malgré le chantier]. You have to be flexible on both sides.”
Each month, 200 containers are delivered to the site.
Mr. Clément also mentions the important learning required of operators, who must master a new technology.
“Some have been there for 20, 30, 40 years, and they are learning again how to make plasterboard. It’s a great challenge, but it’s also a radical change for many.”
-Damien Clément, site director at CertainTeed
Already, the new packaging equipment is integrated into the current line, in order to limit the risks when the time comes to switch to the new line.
Preparing new maintenance ranges and new production standards constitutes another challenge.
This electrification project is estimated at $126 million. “We were forced to review the budget to cover the entire construction phase,” says Mr. Bouscal.
In 2022, this green shift was estimated at $91 million. In addition to the private investment of $51 million, there was financial assistance of $40 million from the provincial ÉcoPerformance program. This subsidy, combined with the accessibility to clean energy in Quebec, contributed to choosing the Sainte-Catherine site for this first decarbonization project at CertainTeed.
At the forefront
Although the use of hydroelectricity in Quebec may seem obvious at first, CertainTeed remains “very at the forefront” in its field, underlines operations director Julien Perrier.
“Apart from the Norwegians, there is no one [chez les fabricants de panneaux de gypse] who is going to get it, this zero CO2 emissions. We are decarbonizing the process and we want to do it before everyone else,” he says.
The construction industry generates 30% of GHGs produced worldwide. At the Sainte-Catherine plant, up to 44,000 metric tons of carbon emissions will be eliminated.
The board produced, named “BasCarbone”, will have 60% less CO2 than a standard board. The remaining percentage is linked to transport.
Mr. Perrier also underlines the interest of working on the circularity of materials, because gypsum is infinitely recyclable. “When you have calcined it and removed the water, you add water and it makes rock again. You can repeat the cycle.”
In British Columbia, boards with very high levels of recycled content are produced.
“We look at our different factories and position ourselves according to the opportunities. We have other energy efficiency projects in sight,” says Mr. Perrier.
