A stationary plant with impressive numbers
The CMGO Grand-Champ quarry, referred to as “Clara” after the former site manager’s granddaughter who was born in 2005, is really a plant with impressive numbers. It was inaugurated in June 2016 and replaces two existing plants: an old plant built in 1973 and a newer, temporary plant built in 2008 to avoid disruption in the day-to-day business while awaiting the new plant.
The new plant is built with 2600 tons of steel to meet a maximum capacity of 2 million tons per year. It includes 2.6 kilometers of separate conveyors and 7500 square meters of building space. The quarry area is built to an area of 140 hectares and has reserves for 40 years of quarrying.
The rock processed is a mylonite type of granite, classified as high-quality material for any demanding usage. The Los Angeles index is 25-30. Some 40% of the end products are used for concrete production, 20% for road construction, and another 40% for other construction-related jobs.
When Equipment Director Pascal Trescos of Colas explains the end-product selection of the Grand-Champ quarry, the details come easily:
“Thanks to the new, highly versatile quarry, we can actually produce everything that our customers have a need for. Our basic range is 0-20 mm sized aggregates, of which we can process all necessary grades, for example 0-2 mm, 0-4 mm, 2-4 mm and so on. We are able to make manufactured sand and wash all end products according to the customers’ needs.”
According to Pascal Trescos, the quarry currently produces 1.3-1.5 million tons per year.
“One 8-hour work shift produces one million tons per year, and now we are running it at 1.5 shifts, meaning 12 hour days. When needed, the production can easily be increased to 2 million tons,” Mr. Trescos adds.
