Wise energy use is among the greatest challenges of our time, and securing sufficient energy for everyone is an increasingly important issue. When Elina Engman began her studies in the early 1990s, energy was anything but topical.
The more interested consumers are in sustainable development, the more they need to know what kind of ecological footprint products have in terms of manufacture and energy. “Companies are already being asked these questions,” says Elina Engman, Vice President of Energy at Kemira. “Let’s take these leather shoes,” she says, pointing at hers and my shoes. “The leather has been tanned with formic acid. The formic acid has probably been manufactured in our Oulu plant. If consumers are aware of this, they want to know what type of energy was used to manufacture the formic acid.”
Engman believes that companies will not be able to avoid sustainability issues, such as energy efficiency. Quite the contrary, these issues will become even more important. Kemira’s products are not directly intended for private consumers, but industrial cus¬tomers are asking the same questions.
“Our customers in the paper industry, for example, want to know what kind of energy was used to manufacture a paper production chemical.” Kemira’s answer is carbon-free electricity generated by wind, nuclear, process or water power.
With her team, Engman is responsible for ensuring sufficient energy supply for Kemira’s production plants. Purchasing decisions are made in collaboration with production and sales: production lets her team know for what purposes energy is needed, and sales lets them know how much.
Engman’s work is wide-ranging, as Kemira operates in around 40 countries and has over 100 production plants. Each country has its own energy market, and each plant needs different amounts and different types of energy. In addition to electricity, Kemira purchases oil and gas.
“Energy is always local. It is produced and consumed locally. From our headquarters in Helsinki, it is difficult to handle energy purchasing in North America, for example. Because of this, we have local teams that work in agreed-upon ways.”
A forward-looking career choice
It is obvious that Engman is enthusiastic about her job. When asked, she lists several reasons for her work being particularly rewarding: wonderful colleagues and the opportunity to always learn something new, to begin with. She also has the opportunity to see, on a concrete level, how energy is linked to Kemira’s finances, funding, environmental work and communications, for example. “Energy is related to everything and concerns everyone, companies and ordinary people alike,” she says.
Engman’s work includes traveling to different parts of the world. She accumulates 50–100 travel days per year and has visited more than 30 of Kemira’s production plants. The more a plant consumes energy, the more likely Engman is to pay a visit. “I always want to see the production side of things! In addition to new perspectives, it gives me drive. It is great to see how proud people around the world are of their plants and how interested they are in energy efficiency. Many of the ideas I have heard on these travels have already been implemented,” she says.
Engman was hired in 2005. At the time, electricity and energy were not major topics. Energy concerns were even less trendy in the early 1990s, when Engman began her studies. “I have always been interested in energy technology, particularly in the links between energy, society and the environment.”
Engman feels that she can promote sustainability in her work. Kemira’s energy strategy is in line with the company’s way of thinking. “I think it’s wonderful that water, its efficient use and recycling are at the core of our strategy. Energy saving and energy efficiency go hand in hand with Kemira’s strategy.”
E3 equals EUR 10 million in savings
Kemira has made every effort to save energy and use it more efficiently. The latest investment in this area is the E3 program, which was launched last year. The goal is to save approximately EUR 10 million by the end of 2012. The reviews have uncovered big and small ways to save energy.
The big ones include the opportunity discovered at the Helsingborg plant in Sweden, where efficiency was improved by increasing the strength of peroxide in the production of coated sodium percarbonate, also known as ECOX. The small ways include the opportunity at the Fray Bentos plant in Uruguay, where the reactions in chlorate production were accelerated by raising the temperature of the feed liquid in the cells.
In improving energy efficiency, the initial observation and the ensuing change in thinking are often enough. Changes that require little or no investment are the fastest to implement. Sometimes it is necessary to change an operating method or part of a process. Energy efficiency can also mean making use of waste heat or be related to the use of materials. If one unit discovers an opportunity to save energy, the solution is copied, whenever possible, to be used by other production plants.
Can Kemira still enhance the efficiency of its energy use? “Certainly,” says Engman. It also depends on energy prices. If they keep rising, the company can reconsider solutions that are not currently profitable. “There may be new directives, national or international ones. We may also develop new products and solutions that save energy.”
Text: Pirkko Koivu
Photo: Marek Sabogal
Photo: Marek Sabogal