Date: February 3, 2010
Source: Siemens Industry, Inc.
Siemens And Sustainable Energy Solutions Help Exxonmobil And Novolyte Tap Baton Rouge Landfill Gas
As renewable energy sources go, methane from a landfill might not have the glamour of some other contemporary sources, but the economic and environmental benefits still shine as brightly. Today, City of Baton Rouge/Parish of East Baton Rouge Mayor-President Kip Holden, Paul Guilfoyle, plant manager for ExxonMobil's Baton Rouge Polyolefins (BRPO) Plant and Novolyte Technologies, Inc. CEO, Ed Frindt joined representatives from Sustainable Energy Solutions and the Building Technologies Division of Siemens Industry, Inc., at a ceremonial ground breaking for an energy project designed to serve the interests of local industry, create a new, sustainable revenue stream for the City and help improve the environment for everyone in the region.
The project will tap the methane gas currently being flared to the atmosphere at the Baton Rouge Parish Municipal Waste North Landfill and deliver it to ExxonMobil's BRPO plant in Baton Rouge and Novolyte Technologies' Chemical Plant in nearby Zachary, La., where it will be used as an economical alternative to the natural gas the plants currently use to fire boilers.
According to Mayor-President Holden, "The project is very environmentally beneficial and will reduce greenhouse gas emissions in the North Baton Rouge area equal to removing 59,000 cars from the road or planting 73,000 new acres of pine forests. Over the 20-year life of the project, the municipal government expects proceeds from the sale of the gas to generate as much as $30 million in revenue."
Siemens Industry's Building Technologies Division was selected to develop the landfill gas-to-energy project in 2007 and is serving as the engineering, procurement, and construction contractor for Sustainable Energy Solutions, LLC, owner of the project. The project includes the engineering and implementation of the methane gas collection system at the landfill, as well as the engineering and construction of a 3.75-mile long pipeline to transport the methane gas to ExxonMobil's plant and a 1.5-mile pipeline to carry it to the Novolyte Technologies' plant. Construction has commenced on the landfill gas collection system, including work on the pipelines. The project is expected to be fully operational by August 2010.
According to Novolyte's, Ed Frindt, "Novolyte has been committed many years to providing products that go into green applications from our environmentally friendly line of specialty solvents to our lithium battery electrolytes that are being used in the developing Electric Vehicle and renewable energy source storage. We are excited to be able to further our commitment to environmental improvement through the use of landfill gas at our Zachary, La. plant."
ExxonMobil's BRPO plant produces high-density polyethylene (HDPE) and polypropylene (PP) for a broad variety of applications including recyclable milk bottles and similar household product containers. According to ExxonMobil, the site has a long-standing record of safe operations and an environmental performance record that is among the best in industry. Over the past 15 years, the site has reduced hazardous waste generation by more than 98% and implemented programs which have dramatically reduced emissions and waste.
Brad Ives, executive vice president of Sustainable Energy Solutions, noted that "The project reflects a lot of hard work on the part of the City of Baton Rouge, Siemens, ExxonMobil and Novolyte. We are thrilled to see how the petrochemical and renewable energy industries can come together for a project that provides financial and environmental benefits to the whole Baton Rouge community."
"Part of our mission," said Clark Wiedetz, director, renewable energy, for the Building Technologies Division of Siemens, is to help our customers manage their energy costs, improve reliability, and enhance performance while having a positive impact on the environment. This project fulfils that mission because it allows all of the project participants to achieve their individual financial and environmental objectives."
Siemens Industry
Siemens Industry, Inc. (SII) is the U.S. affiliate of Siemens' global Industry Sector business-the world's leading supplier of production, transportation and building technology solutions. The company's integrated hardware and software technologies enable comprehensive industry-specific solutions for industrial and infrastructure providers to increase their productivity, sustainability and profitability. The Industry Sector includes six divisions: Building Technologies, Industry Automation, Industry Solutions, Mobility, Drive Technologies and OSRAM SYLVANIA. With nearly 222,000 Siemens Industry Sector employees worldwide, the Industry Sector posted a worldwide profit of $2.7 billion on revenues of $47.7 billion in fiscal 2009. www.usa.siemens.com/Industry
Building Technologies
A division of Siemens Industry, Inc. (SII), Building Technologies (BT) Division is a leading provider of energy and environmental solutions, building controls, electrical distribution equipment, fire safety and security systems solutions. BT's solutions enable America's buildings to be more comfortable, secure and environmentally friendly as well as less costly to operate. With a U.S. headquarters in Buffalo Grove, Ill., BT employs 7,400 people and provides a full range of services and solutions from more than 100 locations coast-to-coast. Worldwide, the company has 28,000 employees and operates from more than 500 locations in 51 countries. The Building Technologies Division posted worldwide revenues of $8.1 billion in fiscal 2009. www.usa.siemens.com/buildingtechnologies
Sustainable Energy Solutions LLC
Sustainable Energy Solutions LLC ("SES") is an owner, operator and developer of high quality renewable energy projects using a variety of energy technologies. SES is a well-capitalized portfolio company of Highstar Capital III, L.P. with its headquarters in Jacksonville, Florida. With an initial focus on landfill gas-to-energy projects, SES currently has four projects under contract, design and/or construction. The company is developing both landfill gas-to-electricity projects and "medium BTU" projects that supply landfill gas as a substitute for natural gas to dedicated industrial customers. SES is aggressively pursuing additional project development opportunities and acquisitions of operating projects.
Highstar Capital
Highstar Capital is an independent, owner-operated infrastructure investment fund manager. Since closing its first fund in 2000, Highstar has directly invested $5.2 billion for its limited partners and co-investors, including eight realizations. Highstar focuses its investment mandate on infrastructure assets and businesses in the energy, environmental services and transportation sectors, principally in North America and Europe.
For more information, contact:
Steven E. Kuehn
Media Relations
SIEMENS Industry, Inc.
Tel: 847.941.6047
Mobile: 847.922.9384
steve.kuehn@siemens.com.
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