ExxonMobil claims 15-20 per cent improvement in energy efficiency at its plants

By Our Corporate Bureau | 28 Apr 2007

Mumbai: ExxonMobil hopes to improve energy efficiency at its refineries and chemical plants by 15 to 20 per cent through its 'Global Energy Management System'.

In fact, the company has implemented more than half the new system at its refining and chemical businesses, which saved the company nearly $750 million in costs annually.

"As a result of these actions, we have avoided the emission of about 8 million tonnes of associated greenhouse gases in 2006, which is roughly equivalent to removing 1.5 million cars from US roads," ExxonMobil's energy planning advisor Dennis Stanley told participants at the International Engineered Fabrics Conference and Expo in Miami.

In his presentation, Stanley said the ExxonMobil approach to better energy management included:

  • Applying best practices of energy use
  • Identifying opportunities for energy saving, and
  • Sustaining gains through strong management systems.
The energy management system, Stanley said, may install a heat exchanger to recover waste heat to make a facility more energy efficient, adding, "It is imperative to sustain it over the long haul, so an effective system of measurement is important. If you can''t measure it, you can''t manage it."

With energy estimated to contribute 10 per cent or more of the total costs of engineered products, this would mean a 10 per cent saving in the energy bill, he pointed out.