Partner Article

Millions to be saved by energy cuts

North East firms are being told that they can save more than £60 million if they work together, reducing carbon emissions and energy costs.

The North East Carbon Management Programme supports 19 big energy users in the region to cut carbon emissions and energy consumption. The companies span sectors including engineering, pharmaceuticals, chemicals and primary steel.

In total, the project has identified operational savings in excess of £60 million and carbon savings of 500,000 tonnes; almost 1% of the region’s total output. The scheme has also led to the identification and development of clean technology investments that can contribute to the region’s renewable energy targets.

The project was tri-funded with One NorthEast and the Carbon Trust each committing a third with the remaining portion of funding coming directly from those businesses involved.

One of the companies taking part is Corus Teesside Cast Products. Power and energy manager Steve Dalton said: “We have identified energy saving opportunities around the site which will contribute to the company’s goal of reducing our carbon dioxide emissions by 20% by 2020.

“We are now looking at a number of projects across all areas of our operations, ranging from installing additional generating plant and energy-efficient drives to training our employees in what we all can do to be more energy efficient. We’ll be looking at how small changes to our daily routines can help to reduce our carbon footprint. We will also be looking to everyone on site to help us find better ways of working and new ways to change our processes to become more energy efficient across the board.”

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Ruth Mitchell .