Dragon Cement and Concrete announced last week that it has completed a $50 million modernization of its cement plant in Thomaston, Maine, the first major expansion of New England's only cement plant since 1971. The effort included a $10 million upgrade of Dragon's distribution system, including the acquisition of new railcars and the construction of new storage capacity.

Dragon President Joseph Koch said the project makes the plant more environmentally efficient, while increasing fuel economy and production capabilities. the expansion also allows the company to maintain and possibly increase employment levels at the plant for the next 20 to 30 years.

The modernization, which involved a major overhaul and rebuilding of the facility, began in the spring of 2003. The plant changed over from a wet, slurry-type process to a dry, state-of-the-art process. The change also will reduce the process time of the kiln and increase production more than 30 percent, said Koch. The plant can now produce more than 700,000 tons of cement on the same amount of fuel previously used to produce 500,000 tons.

Dragon is one of Maine's leaders in recycling industrial materials to replace virgin feedstocks and has received numerous state environmental and safety awards over the years. In addition, the company has invested millions of dollars over the past 10 years into environmental equipment and programs. In 1996, the company made a $1 million investment to recycle cement kiln dust back into the production process through a system known as “dust scoops.” As a result, new material added to the pile has been reduced 98%.