NewPage Receives Funds from Focus on Energy for Efficiency Projects

Having successfully completed three energy efficiency projects at its Biron mill boilerhouse, NewPage Corporation was awarded a check for $83,536 by Focus on Energy.

Completed in the second half of 2009, these projects involved the deployment of boiler numbers four and five and turbine three. The improvement from the equipment installation resulted in the successful capture of heat and generation of additional heat output from the steam, in turn, facilitating a reduction in fossil fuel requirement. Additional in-house power thus generated will be used for serving the mill's general operation power requirements.

The annual saving from the improvements is expected to be equivalent to the energy consumption of about 200 average homes. Annual greenhouse gas emissions are likely to reduce by 1650 metric tons, equivalent to the removal of 330 cars from the road per year. Jerry Aue, the forest products energy engineer of Focus on Energy, referred to Biron as being the shining star of the Focus program since its commencement in 2001, and looks forward to working with NewPage on more efficiency improvement schemes in the future.