An ABB project that delivered over 7,000 MWh of savings has been recognised with an EEF Future Manufacturing Award for environmental efficiency.
The project at TATA Steel Port Talbot focused on the optimisation of motor driven applications to improve the energy efficiency and productivity levels of the company’s facility.
EEF’s environmental efficiency category celebrates the achievements of manufacturing businesses who have improved operational efficiency while reducing their environmental impact or developed business opportunities associated with the green agenda.
ABB was selected for the award by a panel of judges drawn from business leaders, industry experts and academics and was up against competing entries from a range of businesses, small and large, from across the North West.
TATA Steel’s engineering teams at Port Talbot have, over several years, collaborated successfully with ABB to install variable-speed drives (VSDs) on many large motor driven applications to save energy.
However, TATA Steel recognised that a large number of relatively smaller motors with a power rating of less than 250 kW operated with considerable running time across all plant. These motors made a significant contribution to the base load energy consumption of the site and required optimisation.
ABB recommended DriveSave to TATA Steel, a risk and rewards programme, aimed at large energy consumers that identifies and guarantees energy savings from multiple motor-driven applications across a site.
DriveSave is specifically aimed at industries like metal processing which are willing to make significant investment to achieve energy savings, totalling several thousand MW hours per year with a return on investment of under three years.
Steve Hughes, ABB’s UK sales manager for variable-speed drives said: “DriveSave was created by ABB to change the mind-set of large energy users by persuading them to buy guaranteed energy savings as opposed to specific pieces of hardware alone. It was therefore an ideal solution for TATA Steel Port Talbot.”
By the end of the DriveSave project, 7,430 MW hours per year was saved by Port Talbot by installing variable-speed drives on 24 motor-driven applications ranging between 15 to 200 kW. The reduced site base load achieved is equivalent to the entire energy consumption of Port Talbot’s sister plant at Trostre, representing significant cost and CO2 savings for TATA Steel.
“It is great to see the ABB DriveSave project with Tata Steel recognised with an EEF Award, as it reinforces the message that manufacturing companies can still achieve significant savings to contribute to energy and CO2 reductions with the right approach and expertise” added Hughes.
ABB (www.abb.com) is a leader in power and automation technologies that enable utility, industry, and transport and infrastructure customers to improve their performance while lowering environmental impact. The ABB Group of companies operates in roughly 100 countries and employs about 140,000 people.
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