Four initiatives across three different Koch companies were recently recognized by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) as Top Projects at the EPA’s 2024 ENERGY STAR® Industrial Meeting in Nashville, Tennessee.
These new Top Projects come in a year when Koch was also named EPA ENERGY STAR® Partner of the Year for the fourth year in a row (and fifth time overall) — a distinction earned through the company’s ongoing commitment to its Stewardship Framework for sustainable operations and responsible energy management.
What is an ENERGY STAR® Top Project?
ENERGY STAR® Top Projects are energy efficiency projects recognized by the EPA for achieving outstanding energy performance improvements. Organizations that earn these project distinctions demonstrate innovative energy management practices, energy savings and contributions to environmental stewardship.
Top Project – Harnessing Solar Power ☀️
With rising electricity costs and undeveloped land adjacent to the Flint Hills Resources Pine Bend refinery, the company installed a 350-acre solar project that went into full operation early in 2024 and is already helping reduce energy costs and improve energy efficiency. In combination, the solar project and the refinery’s Combined Heat and Power unit (CHP) can supply up to 70% of the refinery’s power needs. Now, Flint Hills is replicating the success of this solar installation at its Corpus Christi refinery in Texas.
Top Project – Spinning Up Efficiency ⚙️
Electronic connector maker Molex is in the process of upgrading the air handling units (AHUs) at one of its sites from higher energy-intensive direct current (DC) fans to more efficient electronically commutated (EC) fans. EC fans produce less heat waste, run cooler for a longer fan lifespan, require less maintenance and can be speed-adjusted to meet real-time demands. This conversion has generated savings of 2 million kWh of electricity, which should save 3 million kWh annually once all fans have been replaced — reducing the system’s energy consumption by 30%.
Top Project – Changing Company Culture 🌍
Molex was recognized for its approach to deploying regional energy summits to engage plants on energy efficiency through technical and cultural improvement projects. One project highlighted during these meetings took place at Molex’s Sulęcin, Poland, facility, which deployed an Energy Working Team (EWT) to involve employees in environmental stewardship solutions to reduce energy consumption during non-manufacturing hours, resulting in a 63% improvement.
Top Project – Managing Steam Production 💧
Koch Fertilizer completed a project entailing the integration of the steam header system throughout its Enid, Oklahoma, facility and the installation of a new boiler. This enhancement enables operations to effectively balance steam demand while providing operators with improved visualization of steam venting, thereby facilitating better optimization and steam balance in real time. This resulted in approximately 300,000 MMbtu of energy savings at 90% boiler efficiency and 26 million gallons of water savings.
A Quick Look at Our Stewardship Commitment
The decisions we make to optimize our energy performance and reduce emissions across operations are occasionally recognized by the EPA in different ways. Here’s an at-a-glance look at many of our EPA-certified facilities, awards and Top Projects over the years.
