GreenField Specialty Alcohols in Chatham is getting a $5-million cheque through the provincial Save on Energy program for the company's conservation efforts.
The Chatham plant recently saw $13.8-million in efficiency upgrades including the installation of two cogeneration units.
Plant Manager Angelo Ligori says the investment lowers the unit cost and gives the company an advantage.
"Whenever we have a power outage we can be down for three or four days. If we run we make more money, so it makes us more competitive," says Ligori. "We compete globally, so we have to be very careful on the unit cost."
The two cogeneration units proved their worth in keeping the plant running during a power outage this week.
"My dread was I didn't know for about 15 or 20 minutes whether or not we held because if we had not held it would have been chaos," says Ligori.
GreenField expects to save nearly $2-million in annual electricity costs because of the plant enhancements.
Ligori points to Entegrus as a vital partner in helping the company take advantage of available incentives to help the investment pay off sooner.
"Our dream was to go down to using the power of a grocery store compared to what we used to purchase," says Ligori. "We're there now."
The Save on Energy program is run through the Independent Electricity System Operator -- part of the Ontario Power Authority.
