Preservation of the living environment, a condition for the project's local integration
Imerys' objective is to design a project that minimizes the impact on the human environment. Various options have been identified on each site to ensure the best possible integration of the facilities into their environment.
At the Beauvoir site, the choice of underground mining and underground crushing greatly reduces potential nuisances compared with open-cast mining. Imerys will ensure compliance with standards and the preservation of the living environment, as is already the case for the existing kaolin operation, in order to limit dust emissions and noise. These measures could include watering the runways, constructing enclosed buildings, providing appropriate storage facilities for materials, etc.
Several locations were studied for the loading platform. Imerys chose the La Fontchambert site in the municipalities of Saint-Bonnet-de-Rochefort and Naves, where nuisances can be mitigated more easily by effective landscape integration. La Fontchambert would be partly hidden by the A71 motorway. In addition, the operations would take place indoors, which would limit noise pollution for local residents.
For the conversion plant at La Loue, the calcination furnace would be equipped with a dust and gas filtration system to comply with emission standards and protect air quality.