CHP helps the chemical sector to lower energy bills and reduce CO2 emissions

Press release by COGEN Europe

CHP plant delivering UK carbon savings of over 3 million tonnes of CO2
Cogeneration in industry has a key role to play in reducing GHG emissions and can help the sector to stay competitive. The CHP plant at the Tata Chemicals Europe (TCE) in Cheshire, United Kingdom, is a great example. “The low carbon footprint is a great selling point to our customers, who quite rightly attach ever-increasing importance to maximizing the proportion of “green” products in their supply chain,” said Dr Martin Ashcroft, Managing Director at TCE.
 
Sector figures show that the European chemicals industry makes up 20% of world chemicals sales in value terms and contributes 1.1% of EU’s GDP. As an energy intensive industry, one of the key factors for the sector to stay competitive is mitigating energy costs. This will be highlighted by TCE at the COGEN Europe Annual Conference in April. Dr Ashcroft continued saying that “TCE has utilised an industrial scale gas-fired CHP plant in Cheshire for over 12 years. It continues to deliver a secure and reliable supply of process heat and electric power, more economically than taking power from the grid and raising steam from conventional boilers. This has already delivered UK carbon savings of over 3 million tonnes of CO2, and over 7 million MWhrs of surplus electricity to the national grid.”
 
The installation of cogeneration is one of the most effective measures employed by the chemical sector to improve energy efficiency and reduce its carbon footprint. The German chemicals sector, ranking 4th in the world in terms of production, meets a large share of its heat demand, up to 45 TWh, through CHP and district heating. In the United Kingdom 28% of the CHP capacity is installed in the chemical industry, with CHP plants generating 7,8 TWh electrical output and 15,2 TWh of heat output.
 
Tata Chemicals Europe and other industrial CHP users will present their business reasons for choosing cogeneration in their industrial process at the COGEN Europe Annual Conference (18-19 April in Brussels). More information on this event can be found on www.cogeneurope.eu.