Mitsubishi HiTec Paper and 13 other companies from the chemical and paper industry in North Rhine-Westphalia save a further 113 million kilowatt hours of energy and thus over 36,000 t of CO2 per year.
The Energy Efficiency Network ChePap Rhein-Ruhr has again drawn a positive balance. After considerable energy savings were achieved through close cooperation between 2016 and 2018, the second period from 2018 to 2020 also produced positive results with the 14 companies from the NRW chemical and paper industry. In addition to the 158 million kilowatt hours of energy saved per year from the first term, additional 113 million kilowatt hours per year have now been saved. The savings from the current round correspond to a CO2 reduction of 36,477 tons per year – which is after all the CO2 footprint of 3,500 German citizens.
This great success shows that it is worthwhile to approach and implement innovations as part of a network. Because one thing is clear: Many obvious savings have been implemented in energy-intensive industries such as the chemical and paper industries for years. However, further synergies can be achieved through mutual exchange between companies and industries. The energy efficiency network initiative of the federal government with business associations offers an excellent basis for this.
Hans-Jürgen Mittelstaedt, Managing Director VCI NRW says: “The large savings again clearly show how valuable the network continues to be for the companies represented. We are therefore planning to extend ChePap for a further two years. In the near future in particular, many companies will have to start working towards greenhouse gas neutrality. It is important to be able to discuss ideas and possible solutions with colleagues in the network. I am looking forward to ChePap III.”
Martin Drews, Managing Director of the Paper Association of North Rhine-Westphalia, adds: “The exchange beyond industry boundaries offers a decisive added value for the participants. Companies from the paper industry can benefit from innovative savings opportunities and business ideas from the chemical industry and vice versa. We therefore welcome the continuation of the successful cooperation in the coming year.”
Gerd Finkenhofer, Energy Manager at Mitsubishi HI Tec Paper, explains: “In addition to the specific energy-saving goals and results that are required for the national energy transition to succeed, I particularly value the cross-sector networking. This year, all energy-intensive companies had to convert their energy management systems to a revised standard in accordance with DIN EN ISO 50001: 2018. Targeted specialist presentations at our network meetings and the forum for exchange were therefore of great importance to me. At the beginning of October, we were able to successfully implement the desired recertification of the energy management system, which was first certified in 2011.”
