Our global Energy Reduction Group was established in October 2016 when we realized that many of the easy gains had been achieved. The Group, led by corporate engineering, supports capital equipment investment projects where the payback period is accepted as being longer than would normally be required.
During 2017, the Group invested in a number of projects, including:
- Insulation of four tanks (phase 2 of a 2016 project) with an estimated GHG saving of 216 tonnes per annum.
- Installation of water and gas meters at High Point, US, site to enable accurate measurement of energy use so that a baseline can be established.
- A new economizer for steam boilers at Ellesmere Port, UK, with anticipated annual savings of 2,368 Megawatts of gas and 436 tonnes of GHGs.
Michael Wood, Corporate Process Engineer and Chair of Energy Reduction Group, reflects on the last 12 months: “2017 has been a good year, from the identification of potential energy reduction projects and also the raising of awareness across sites.”
In addition to capital investment projects, the ERG also encourages and supports local initiatives. In 2017, a number of sites set annual energy reduction targets to contribute to Innospec’s overall reduction target. Local Energy Groups identified projects and activities to reduce energy use and help them meet their local targets. The ERG coordinates the sharing of information and learnings from across the sites through regular communications, bi-annual best practice meetings and Innospec’s first Energy Projects Report.
“By establishing a network of energy focused representatives, we have been able to share and implement best practice and improve more rapidly than before. Importantly, we are now reviewing all new business investments from an energy perspective, ensuring that they are as energy efficient as possible,” said Michael.
In 2017, a range of energy saving initiatives were reported by the sites, including:
- A review of the insulation of all steam valves and flanges at our St Mihiel facility in France identified an estimated 2,500 areas for potential steam saving improvements.
- Launch of an electricity consumption reduction campaign at our plant in Vernon, France, that included posters and awareness training.
- General resource awareness training, including energy and water conservation, also took place at our Highpoint, US and Ellesmere Port, UK, facilities.
