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First North American ISO 50001 certification for energy management awarded to Canada's largest cement plant - Environmental Communication Options/Huff Strategy

First North American ISO 50001 certification for energy management awarded to Canada's largest cement plant

Nov 23rd, 2011 4:10 AM

St Marys Cement Inc. plant in Bowmanville, Ontario is a continent-wide leader in energy efficiency and conservation for manufacturers of cementitious material
Media Release (Bowmanville ON, Nov. 23, 2011) On November 15th 2011, St Marys Cement Inc. - Bowmanville Plant, received the first International Organization for Standardization's (ISO) ISO 50001 certification in North America. The ISO 50001 standard is a framework for industrial facilities seeking to manage their energy use. Cement plants consume significant amounts of energy; plants as large as Bowmanville operate 24/7 with a rated capacity of over 1.8 million metric tonnes of product. This responsibility was not taken lightly by Fabio Garcia, Manager of Plant Operations, who back in 2005 laid out a strategy for an integrated approach to reducing the plant’s energy consumption. "Employee awareness of the costs of various operations and procedures and training programs paid big dividends," Mr. Garcia observed. "Other important steps were engaging 360 Energy of Burlington Ontario and establishing an energy management and conservation committee, that we call E=MC2. With representatives from Finance, HR, Environment, Quality Control, Maintenance, Mining and Production departments, the Committee identified and acted upon over 100 separate energy efficiency initiatives. Much of the energy savings required little capital expenditure or were done at no cost." The ISO 50001 certification helps businesses understand and modify their energy consumption and use. It has the added benefit of communicating to customers, regulators and suppliers in a reliable and transparent manner how the St Marys Cement - Bowmanville Plant is reducing its energy use and greenhouse gas emissions. Jim Storey, Electrical Maintenance Manager and E=MC2 Co-leader observed, "Since 2005, we have reduced electricity consumption by over 11 million kilowatt hours (approximately the same amount of energy used by 1100 Canadian homes in one year) with over $3 million in savings. We modified our existing systems and developed programs in-house to maximize internal and external opportunities in Energy Management." Fabio Garcia concluded, "The energy conservation elements of ISO 50001 certification means we are on track for over $1 million dollars in savings in 2011. The commitment of everyone working at St Marys Bowmanville day-in and day-out is why we are the first North American site to receive this certification. I want to thank each and every one of them."
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For further information contact: Don Huff, Environmental Communication Options, huffd@ecostrategy.ca or 416-972-7401 or cell 416-805-7720 St Marys Cement Inc. is a leading manufacturer of cement and related construction products in the United States and Canada. Headquartered in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, St Marys Cement Inc. supplies cementitious materials to the Great Lakes Region and is also a significant producer of concrete and aggregates for the Ontario market. The Bowmanville Plant was established in 1968. For more information visit www.stmaryscement.com. St Marys Cement Inc. is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Votorantim Cimentos, an international cement manufacturer based in Sao Paulo, Brazil.