Starbucks: Project Luke

BACKGROUND

The Augusta plant will be Starbucks’ fifth manufacturing facility in the United States and the company’s first owned and operated facility in the world to produce soluble products such as VIA® Ready Brew, ingredients for Frappuccino® and many of Starbucks ready-to-drink (RTD) beverages. The manufacturing plant will prepare and package ingredients and finished products for most of the company’s soluble-based beverages for all of North America and parts of Europe. The new, state-of-the-art facility offers employment opportunities in a range of highly skilled positions.

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SOLUTIONS

Starbucks is installing high efficiency technologies throughout the plant, including:

  • Efficient lighting systems (20% reduction)
  • Occupancy Sensors throughout the office space
  • High efficiency fans in all Rooftop Units (RTUs), condensers and makeup air units
  • High efficiency (92% efficiency) gas furnaces in all makeup air units
  • Economizers in 40% of the RTUs
  • High efficiency ammonia screw chillers with VFD control
  • High efficiency boilers (83% efficiency)
  • High efficiency pumps
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Starbucks is also implementing a variety of environmentally conscious measures to reduce emissions and improve water efficiency. Additional high efficiency measures at the plant include:

  • Heat recovery technology for the boilers
  • Closed loop fluid coolers to replace standard ammonia refrigeration plant
  • Process fluid cooling for interim flash process
  • Water recovery for pre-rinse during cleaning and from Interim Flash and Wiped Film Evaporator condensers
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OTHER BENEFITS

The project is designed to achieve LEED® Silver certification. In addition, this facility will feature an alternative method for reprocessing coffee powder that doesn’t meet acceptable grade, reducing plant waste. It will also include regenerative thermal oxidizer technology to help meet exhaust stack emission requirements. 

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Actual energy usage has been adjusted to account for differences between modeled and actual operations. 

Annual Energy Use

Baseline 2015 ASHRAE 90.1-2007
8151 kBtu/sq.ft
Actual (2015)
3,160 kBtu/sq.ft

Energy Savings:

61%

Annual Energy Cost

Baseline 2015 ASHRAE 90.1-2007
$17,630,000
Actual (2015)
$8,750,000

Cost Savings:

$8,880,000

Sector Type

Commercial

Location

Augusta, Georgia

Project Size

179,000 Square Feet

Financial Overview

Project Cost: $172,000,000

Outside the Project Luke facility
Outside the Project Luke facility

Project Luke's bird's-eye view
Project Luke's bird's-eye view