St. James, LA – Koch Methanol St. James (Koch Methanol) has achieved the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's ENERGY STAR® Challenge for Industry by reducing its energy intensity by 10% through projects focused on plant optimization and reliability.
In just one year, the Koch Methanol team significantly reduced its energy intensity, which measures how much energy is required to produce methanol at the facility. They accomplished this reduction through various factors.
The team completed a project injecting ethane to enhance its natural gas feedstock, which allowed for better efficiency. During a 2024 maintenance project, Koch Methanol improved its catalyst loading, leading to better production yields. In addition, the site made significant improvements in daily plant optimization and improved reliability, which also helped in achieving this significant milestone.
“Being good stewards of the resources entrusted to us is at the very center of what we do as a site,” Josh Wiggins, plant manager at Koch Methanol St. James, said. “Finding ways to lower energy intensity allows us to produce methanol, a product vital to modern society, while using fewer resources and respecting the environment.”
The ENERGY STAR Challenge for Industry is a national call to action to improve the energy efficiency of America’s manufacturing companies. By taking the challenge, manufacturing sites set a goal to reduce their energy intensity by 10% within 5 years.
“I’m really proud of the team we have here in St. James,” Wiggins said. “Through their constant focus on improvement and innovation, we were able to achieve the ENERGY STAR Challenge for Industry. Results like this show our continued commitment to the environment, our community, and employees.”
Moving forward, the Koch Methanol team will continue efforts to improve energy efficiency. The site is currently on track for another significant reduction in energy intensity in 2025.
Methanol is not only used as a cleaner-burning fuel, but also as a component in synthetic fabrics and fibers, wastewater treatment plan additives, medical equipment, adhesives, solvents, paints, and many other products. For more information about how methanol is the building block used to manufacture products in our daily lives and about Koch Methanol St. James, visit kochmethanol.com/whatismethanol.
