Resolute’s Grenada (Mississippi) newsprint mill was recently recognized by the Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA), a regional provider of electricity for industries and local power companies, as the top performer for the most kilowatt hours saved in 2015 among its directly-served customers.
In June of this year, TVA announced that Grenada had saved 32,000,000 kWh through its thermomechanical pulp inter-stage screening project, a three-year initiative that has saved a total of 85,100,000 kWh (about the same as the total electricity used by 8,800 homes in a year).
TVA offers incentives to business and industry for capital investments that make operations more energy efficient. In Grenada’s case, electricity use was monitored for a period of months before and after the conversion of the thermo-mechanical pulp (TMP) to inter-stage screening with long fiber refining. The modification reduced the mill’s refining energy use by 15%, qualifying it for incentives totalling $8 million.
This conversion benefits both the environment – in reducing our scope 2 GHG emissions – and our bottom line. In pulp and paper operations, electricity costs can account for as much as 20% of a mill’s manufacturing budget, and it can represent an important part of the regional power consumption.
The industrial sector alone accounts for about one third of U.S. energy use. That’s why TVA works with industrial users of power to devise plant wide, holistic approaches to energy savings. In addition to controlling costs, program participants benefit from financial incentives to implement energy-saving changes in their operations.
Read TVA’s 2015 Energy Right Solutions report here.
Picture
Back Row (Left to Right)
Gary Fant, former Maintenance and Engineering Manager, RFP (retired)
Karland Pharr, E&I
Kip Profit, Crew Leader, TMP
Rob Wise, General Manager
David Bevill, Operator, TMP
Danny Beck, Operator, Paper Dept
Gary Harris, TVA
Daryl Williams, TVA
Lester Stokes, TVA
Brent Kent, TVA
Front Row Kneeling (Left to Right)
David Jackson, Process Control/E&I Superintendent
John Booker, Crew Leader, TMP
Earnest Armstead, Shift Manager
Jeff Hand, TMP Manager
