Ash Grove Cement announced that its Durkee, Ore., cement plant has been awarded the 2016 Energy Star plant certification. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA’s) Energy Star certification recognizes the plant’s performance in the top 25 percent of cement manufacturing facilities nationwide for energy efficiency and meeting the strict energy efficiency performance levels set by the EPA.
“We’re honored that the EPA has awarded the Ash Grove Cement Co. Durkee plant its Energy Star award,” said Terry Kerby, Durkee plant manager. “This achievement demonstrates our strong commitment to environmental stewardship. We worked to improve energy efficiency, and by boosting energy efficiency, energy costs are lower for our domestic-made cement.”
The 2016 Energy Star award winners lead their industries in the energy-efficient production and sale of products and services, and in the development and adoption of world-class strategies that provide substantial energy and efficiency. Ash Grove Cement Durkee improved its energy performance by strategically managing energy use and making cost-effective improvements to its plant. Ash Grove’s Seattle plant was awarded Energy Star plant certification in 2015.
“The Energy Star is the distinguishing mark of energy efficiency for cement manufacturing plants in the United States and identifies this plant’s status among the most energy-efficient based on its performance in EPA’s Energy Star energy performance scale,” said Jean Lupinacci, chief of the Energy Star commercial and industrial branch.
To earn Energy Star certification, Ash Grove Cement Durkee implemented the following actions:
• Installed Variable Frequency Drives on several fans throughout the facility to reduce energy use in each fan by up to 50 percent.
• Installed a high-level supervisory computer system that maximizes output per kWH.
• Adjusted mill parameters and raw materials in finish mills to maximize power efficiency in an over 4375 kw operation.
Energy Star certified plants are required to have their energy performance independently verified. Manufacturing plants must achieve an Energy Star score of 75 or higher using an industry-specific Energy Star Energy Performance Indicator (EPI). EPIs, EPA’s benchmarking tools for industrial plants, measure a plant’s energy performance and compare it to that of similar plants nationwide, generating an Energy Star score on a scale of 1 to 100.
