On May 6, 2019, DOE traveled to Kingsport, Tennessee to recognize Better Buildings, Better Plants partner Eastman Chemical for its energy efficiency leadership.
Eastman Chemical manufactures hundreds of chemicals, synthetic fibers, and plastics. To help improve energy efficiency performance at its Tennessee headquarters, Eastman implemented a highly-efficient, on-site co-generation process to supply 160 megawatts of electricity to the plant.
DOE’s Assistant Secretary in the Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE) Daniel Simmons as well as other EERE representatives toured the facility to learn more about its energy-efficient features, including the updated natural gas compression system which supplies Eastman’s associated hydrogen plants. Upgrades to the compression system resulted in an annual energy and cost savings of 8% for the headquarters’ hydrogen production process, as well as a reduction in ongoing maintenance costs.
As a result of these and other energy efficiency projects, Eastman has improved its overall energy productivity by approximately 12% (from a 2008 baseline), moving the company toward its 25% energy performance goal as a Better Buildings, Better Plants partner.
Read more about the energy efficiency solutions implemented at Eastman Chemical’s headquarters in the Eastman Chemical Showcase Project, and check out pictures from the site visit below. From left to right:
1. Group photo (from left to right):
- Sharon Nolen, Manager, Global Natural Resource Management at Eastman Chemical Company
- Alex Fitzsimmons, Chief of Staff for the Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy at DOE
- Daniel R Simmons, Assistant Secretary for the Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy Office at DOE
- Brent Perry - Director, Federal Government Affairs at Eastman Chemical Company
- Mark Cox, Senior Vice President, Chief Manufacturing, Supply Chain, and Engineering Officer at Eastman Chemical Company
- Caitlin Davis, Special Assistant to the Assistant Secretary for the Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy Office at DOE
- Maria Vargas, Director of Better Buildings at DOE
- Lisa Lambert - Site Energy Coordinator at Eastman Chemical Company
