EPA recognises ENERGY STAR cement plants

The US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has recognised 103 manufacturing plants that earned the agency’s ENERGY STAR certification in 2023, an accolade reserved for manufacturing plants in the top 25 per cent in terms of energy efficiency in their sector. Of the 11 cement plants receiving this year's accolade, Ash Grove’s Seattle plant was recognised for its efforts to save energy by increasing the amount of limestone in its Portland limestone cement.

Meanwhile, GCC’s Rapid City plant was named for upgrading its preheater and improving its kiln combustion efficiency, while GCC’s Pueblo plant received its certification for its integration of alternative fuels and lowering of CO₂ emissions. 

Other cement producers recognised by the EPA for their ENERGY STAR certification in 2023 include CalPortland Co (Rillito and Redding), Drake Cement (Paulden), Salt River Materials Group (Phoenix), Titan America (Pennsuco), Buzzi Unicem USA (Festus and Chattanooga) and Roanoke Cement Co. 

According to the EPA, the industrial sector in the US accounts for 30 per cent of the country’s greenhouse gas emissions. The 103 manufacturing plants recognised by the EPA this year prevented a total of more than 8Mt of CO₂ in 2023, equivalent to the emissions from the electricity use by over 1.5m US homes. 

“President Biden’s Investing in America agenda is breathing new life into energy efficient domestic manufacturing, and industry partners like those recognised today are leading the way,” said EPA Administrator, Michael S Regan. “These ENERGY STAR certified plants demonstrate that cutting the embodied carbon of our industrial products through energy efficiency doesn’t just make environmental sense, it makes economic sense.”