USA: Ash Grove Cement Durkee plant awarded Energy Star Certification

Ash Grove Cement today announced that its Durkee plant, Oregon, has been awarded the 2016 ENERGY STAR^® plant certification. The US Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA’s) ENERGY STAR certification is awarded to plants performaning in the top 25 per cent of cement manufacturing facilities nationwide for energy efficiency that meet strict energy efficiency performance levels set by the EPA.

"We’re honored that the EPA has awarded the Ash Grove Cement Company Durkee plant its ENERGY STAR award. This achievement demonstrates our strong commitment to environmental stewardship," said Terry Kerby, manager of Ash Grove’s Durkee plant.

To earn the ENERGY STAR, Ash Grove Cement implemented the following actions at its Durkee plant:

• Installed variable frequency drives on several fans throughout the facility to reduce energy use in each fan by up to 50 per cent.
• Installed a high-level supervisory computer system that maximises output per kWH.
• Adjusted mill parameters and raw materials in finish mills to maximise power efficiency in an over 4375kw operation.