St. Gobain Canada has opened North America’s first zero-carbon gypsum wallboard plant in the Greater Montreal Area.

The fully electric-powered CertainTeed plant is located in Sainte-Catherine, Que. According to the company, the facility is the largest of its kind in the world. The new plant consists largely of an expansion and upgrade of an existing facility.

The new plant draws its power from solar energy sources and its features include compressed-air design, a real-time smart-energy meter and management system, multiple heat-recovery systems and electric heating elements that replaced natural-gas burners.

“This ambitious project strengthen our leadership position in light construction in Canada and meets the strong local demand for sustainable solutions,” said Mark Rayfield, CEO of St. Gobain North America. “It accelerates growth in the country, where we have tripled in size in three years.”

The company said the upgrades have helped to reduce energy consumption by up to 30% and increased production capacity by 40%. Meanwhile, carbon-dioxide emissions will fall by about 44,000 tonnes.

The fully electric plant is the second developed under French parent. The first was built in Fredrikstad, Norway in 2023.

Pictured: St. Gobain Canada’s zero-carbon gypsum wallboard plant in the Greater Montreal Area.

Photo: St. Gobain Canada