Prime Minister Boris Johnson visits Penmaenmawr site

The team at our Penmaenmawr quarry welcomed the Prime Minister on site as part of his visit to north Wales. 

The Prime Minister, Secretary of State for Wales, Simon Hart, and local MP for Aberconwy, Robin Millar, saw first-hand how our recent investment in the site is allowing aggregates to be transported by rail, reducing vehicle movements and cutting CO2 emissions.

The parliamentarians met with our CEO Simon Willis who set out the importance of the minerals industry to the UK economy. 

“Securing planning permission for mineral extraction can be challenging at a local level but is essential to ensure a consistent supply of materials to enable the government’s low carbon construction and levelling-up ambitions,” said Simon Willis.

“I explained to the Prime Minister that the industry needs visibility of the government’s pipeline of planned infrastructure projects to give us the reassurance which will allow us to plan and invest to secure the volume of minerals required.

“We also discussed the HyNet North West carbon capture and storage (CCS) project which includes our Padeswood cement plant – also in north Wales. It forms a key part of our strategy to decarbonise cement production and, if backed by the Government, will give Hanson the confidence to move forward with a carbon capture plant, which will connect to the planned HyNet CO2 transport and storage system.”    

The Prime Minister was given a tour of Hanson’s plant at Penmaenmawr by Simon and quarry manager Gary Meredith. He was informed of the company’s £300,000 investment to reopen the site’s rail facility; the first step towards re-establishing the long-term economic viability of the quarry, which also underpins the supply of asphalt and concrete products and so supports a number of local jobs both directly and indirectly.