Stepping toward energy savings

Stora Enso's midwestern mills get a head start on accelerating energy costs with projects that balance energy consumption with financial and environmental concerns

While it's impossible to predict natural disasters and other external factors that have influenced the acceleration of oil and gas prices since late 2005, a three-year series of energy projects have positioned Stora Enso's U.S. mills to better offset those increases.

To encourage the mills to consider energy-related projects as often as productionrelated ones, a group was formed in 2002 to solicit corporate capital for energy conservation and emission reduction projects that would not tap into mill budgets.

"Our corporate power and energy department, headed by Thomas Scharff in Wisconsin Rapids, recognized that energy projects often have a high ROI, so we needed to create the incentive for our mills to make them a higher priority," says Thomas Wroblewski, RE., energy engineer with the power and energy department. "At the same time, we also wanted to reduce our emission of greenhouse gases, especially CO2, on a voluntary basis as part of our commitment to the Chicago Climate Exchange."

To accomplish these goals, capital was requested of the North American investment committee (IC), a group of mill managers, vice presidents, and others responsible for funding decisions. From 2003-2005, the IC dedicated corporate funds specifically for the energy projects, while the mills submitted project proposals.