News Article

A scheme launched to help North East firms reduce carbon emissions and energy costs has identified savings in excess of £60 million.

One North East has partnered with the Carbon Trust to develop the North East Carbon Management Programme to support 19 energy intensive manufacturing companies in the region to cut carbon emissions and energy consumption, as part of the Government’s drive to slash atmospheric carbon dioxide levels and increase competitiveness. The companies span sectors including engineering, pharmaceuticals, chemicals and primary steel.

In total, the project has identified operational savings in excess of £60 million and carbon savings of 500,000 tonnes; almost 1% of the region’s total output. The scheme has also led to the identification and development of some significant clean technology investments that could contribute significantly to the region’s renewable energy targets.

The project was tri-funded with One North East and the Carbon Trust each committing a third with the remaining portion of funding coming directly from those businesses involved.

One North East Energy Senior Specialist, Andy Williamson, said: "These results are very compelling. With so many heavy energy users in the region citing price increases as a major obstacle to business survival, this programme makes good business sense for all concerned.

"I am delighted that some of the region’s blue chip companies signed up and we have been able to demonstrate the economic and environmental benefits that can be made through reduced energy consumption. The more we can be involved to help mitigate risks to regional business, the more chance we have of remaining competitive, both for existing and new investments."

Andy Togher, Director of Business Relations at the Carbon Trust said; “All businesses in the North East need to make reducing their carbon footprints a priority. In tougher economic times and rising energy prices it has never been so important to take action on carbon emissions to gain the benefits for the bottom line. Businesses can not only reduce their energy bills but can also improve profitability and competitiveness.”
Companies taking part in the North East Carbon Energy Efficiency Programme included: Corus Teesside Cast Products, Davy Roll, Gateshead; Artenius, Tees Valley; ThyssenKrupp Automotive Tallent Chassis and Cleveland Potash from the Tees Valley.

Steve Dalton, power and energy manager at Corus Teesside Cast Products, said: "We have identified energy saving opportunities around the site which will contribute to the company's goal of reducing our carbon dioxide emissions by 20% by 2020.

"We are now looking at a number of projects across all areas of our operations, ranging from installing additional generating plant and energy-efficient drives to training our employees in what we all can do to be more energy efficient. We'll be looking at how small changes to our daily routines can help to reduce our carbon footprint. We will also be looking to everyone on site to help us find better ways of working and new ways to change our processes to become more energy efficient across the board."

The specialised interventions were delivered by experienced experts in their respective fields and concentrated on very specific parts of the client’s process. Further work has subsequently been carried out to assist in the development and implementation of many of the findings.

The scheme is a first in the UK as the Carbon Trust and a Regional Development Agency work collaboratively with regional industry to reduce carbon and drive profitability.

The project has been managed by John Barton, Regional Manager of the Carbon Trust along with Andrew Williamson from One North East. Firms that signed up to the scheme with One North East had energy spends at a minimum of £1m per annum with many having been helped previously through the NEPA (North East Productivity Alliance) project.