Due to the lower energy intensity of the acquired Parex company and the initiatives put in place, energy consumption per ton sold has further decreased in the year under review. Energy consumption in 2020 was 286 megajoules per ton sold (previous year: 363 megajoules per ton sold) which leads to a reduction of 21 % compared to the previous year.
Reduction of fossil fuel consumption by upgrading sand drying equipment in mortar production, decrease of electricity usage by more efficient processes in membrane production and higher efficiency of compressed air equipment are some of the key measures set up to reduce energy consumption.
In Serbia for example, sand drying optimisation through the installation of two online moisture sensors will reduce gas consumption by 30%. The same scheme has been installed in Chile.
In Singapore and Malaysia, the replacement of older sand dryers by state-of-the-art technology will significantly contribute to the reduction of energy consumption. In Germany, the switch to liquid instead of flakes production contributed to reduce energy costs by CHF 200.000 on a yearly basis.