Texas cement plants in 2026: planned projects, map, and TCEQ permit requirements.

Every new kiln or major modification requires a case-by-case New Source Review permit under 30 TAC Chapter 116 — and because portland cement plants are one of the federally listed source categories, the PSD major source threshold drops to 100 tons per year instead of the default 250. In practice, every integrated plant is PSD-major, which means:

• Best Available Control Technology (BACT) analysis for every pollutant — SNCR for NOx, baghouses for PM, scrubbers or inherent scrubbing for SO2
• Air dispersion modeling against the NAAQS and PSD increments
• Public notice and comment, with cement plants among the most frequent targets of contested case hearings in Texas — Midlothian and IH-35 corridor plants draw organized opposition
• Pre-construction requirement: no construction until the permit issues

Realistic timeline for a greenfield plant: 18–36 months. Kiln modifications and expansions at existing sites typically run 12–24 months when PSD is triggered; smaller amendments move faster.

Every integrated cement plant in Texas holds a site-specific Title V permit — potential to emit far exceeds the 100 tpy major source threshold, and no general operating permit covers cement manufacturing. Title V consolidates every applicable requirement (NSR conditions, NESHAP, NSPS, Chapter 117) into one operating permit with semiannual deviation reporting and annual compliance certification. Renewals every five years are a significant compliance event, and permit revisions track each NSR amendment.

Texas regulates cement kiln NOx directly under 30 TAC Chapter 117 ↗ as part of the ozone State Implementation Plan:

• Ellis County: mandatory source cap NOx requirements for Midlothian-area kilns — a hard, county-specific emissions budget tied to the DFW ozone nonattainment area
• Bexar, Comal, Ellis, Hays, and McLennan counties: kiln-specific NOx emission limits for units placed in service before December 31, 1999
• CEMS requirements: continuous emissions monitoring with performance evaluations reported to TCEQ

With the San Antonio region's ozone nonattainment status tightening, Chapter 117 obligations for IH-35 corridor kilns are a moving target worth monitoring.

Two federal programs define much of a cement plant's compliance workload, enforced through the NSR and Title V permits:

• NESHAP Subpart LLL — the Portland Cement MACT: emission limits for mercury, HCl, total hydrocarbons, and PM, with continuous monitoring and stack testing obligations
• NSPS Subpart F — new source performance standards for kilns, clinker coolers, and affected material handling systems

Plants burning alternative fuels (tires, non-hazardous secondary materials) face additional combustion rules and TCEQ authorization for the fuel switch — a common permit amendment in recent years.

Most Texas cement plants sit on their own limestone quarry. The quarry side brings its own stack of authorizations: rock crusher standard permits or NSR authorization for primary and secondary crushing, blasting-related dust controls, and — if the site hosts a ready-mix operation — a separate Concrete Batch Plant Standard Permit.

• Construction GP (TXR150000) ↗: required before earthwork disturbing 1+ acre — SWPPP, NOI, and site notices for what is invariably a large disturbed footprint
• Multi-Sector General Permit (TXR050000): operating plants and quarries need industrial stormwater coverage with benchmark monitoring for sector-specific pollutants
• Quarry dewatering and process water: discharges require TPDES authorization; many plants recycle process water to avoid individual permits
• Edwards Aquifer (30 TAC Chapter 213): quarries and plants over the recharge or contributing zones — relevant along the IH-35 corridor — need TCEQ-approved Water Pollution Abatement Plans before construction