Eastman Chemical Company Texas Operations Receives Energy Award

When it comes to energy, the Texas Operations of Eastman Chemical Company (NYSE: EMN) knows how to save.

Eastman has had corporate initiatives to improve energy efficiency for years and made dramatic improvements. When faced with rapidly rising energy costs, one of Eastman’s sites, Texas Operations, began a special initiative in 2004 to revitalize energy conservation. Through a series of workshops, company manufacturing experts worked with an external energy management consultant to identify and prioritize a multi-year series of energy-conserving projects.

The result? Through the end of 2006, the Eastman’s Texas Operations has achieved annualized energy cost savings in excess of $15 million, and the equivalent of more than 78,000 tons of carbon dioxide emissions reductions. The effort also won the company the Energy Leadership and Environmental Stewardship award from the Industrial Energy Technology Conference earlier this year. The award recognizes companies, organizations and individuals for their work on energy efficiency in industrial settings.

“Energy conservation is an important part of what we’re working on at Eastman,” said James Ray, vice president and general manager, Texas Operations. "It helps the company, of course, but just as importantly, projects like this are critical components to protecting the environment as well.

“The site’s 2007 goal of achieving an additional $4 million in annualized energy cost savings is well on its way to being met and surpassed,” Ray said. “We’re also finding ways to export our process for conserving energy to other Eastman sites.”