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A Wise Energy Strategy
Energy
conservation has come a long way from simply turning out the lights
when you leave a room, or setting the thermostat to
69°F in the winter. These very basic principles
actually embody the cornerstone of energy conservation that International
Paper has incorporated into its business strategies. There is a
growing awareness that even seemingly small changes can add up to
something big. IP looks for opportunities to put good engineering
principles to work for environmental benefit and cost savings, by
implementing combined heat and power projects (cogeneration), for
example. These projects capture the steam generated for its manufacturing
processes and use it to generate electric power. In fact, in 2001
International Paper generated over 11 million MWh of cogenerated
power at its paper mills. This is roughly equivalent to the amount
of power needed to light the city of Memphis, TN, for one year.
Not all major projects the company undertakes at its mills are energy
driven, but by considering the energy consequences of the projects
it develops, International Paper can do two things. First, it can
create opportunities to use less energy to make the same product.
That type of conservation is effectively the same as setting its
thermostat at 69°F in the winter. In 2001, it took approximately
32.5 million BTUs of energy to produce one ton of unfinished paper
at IP’s U.S. pulp and paper mills. In one year, it has made
a 4.4 percent improvement. Second, it can capture advantages and
opportunities to switch from fossil fuels to biofuels—from
fuels that emit greenhouse gasses to carbon neutral fuels. Approximately
half of International Paper electricity production is cogenerated
by boilers that use carbon neutral fuels such as spent wood pulping
liquor, bark and wood residuals. More than 63 percent of the total
energy consumption at its U.S. pulp and paper mills comes from self-generated
and bio-renewable, carbon-neutral fuels.
Energy projects create value for International Paper in several
ways, from improved environmental performance to lower production
costs and the wise use of resources. Wise energy use is just one
leadership strategy International Paper uses toward creating a truly
sustainable enterprise.
Next:
- Decathlon Generates Energy Solutions
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