Cement producers maintain lead in Energy Star-certified manufacturing plants

Sources: Environmental Protection Agency; CP staff

Twenty-seven portland cement operations are among 70 manufacturing plants to achieve EPA Energy Star certification in 2015. Producers recognized for energy performance in the top 25 percent of the industry are Holcim (five plants); Buzzi Unicem, Cemex USA and Lehigh Cement (four plants); Argos USA, Essroc Cement and Titan America (two plants); plus, Ash Grove Cement, CalPortland Co., Martin Marietta Materials, Salt River Materials and Suwannee American (one plant).

“Energy Star certified manufacturing plants are driving the kinds of efficiencies and innovations that keep our country strong,” says EPA Administrator Gina McCarthy. “They’re proving every day that businesses can save on energy, cut down on bills, and reduce greenhouse gas emissions all at the same time.”

Independently verified energy efficiency measures at the cement and other plants recognized in the 2015 Energy Star manufacturing program netted power consumption savings of $475 million, EPA estimates, and reduced greenhouse gas emissions by 5 million-plus metric tons. The agency has certified manufacturing plants with the Energy Star for reaching the top 25 percent of energy performance in their industries nationwide since 2006. In addition to cement, other sectors represented among the 70 plants certified are automotive, corn refining, food processing, glass manufacturing, pharmaceuticals, and petroleum refining.

EPA provides industry-specific Energy Star plant benchmarking tools to help measure performance for companies in the 11 sectors; they allow plant comparison against peer operations and empower participants to set informed improvement goals. — www.energystar.gov/plants

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