Chevron Oronite strives for energy excellence

AS A leading developer, manufacturer and marketer of fuel and lubricant additives, Chevron Oronite Pte Ltd (COPL) is striving towards lowering its energy use and mitigating the impact of its business on the environment. Chevron, COPL’s parent company, also places a strong emphasis on lowering the carbon intensity of its operations.

Between 2019 and 2022, COPL rolled out around 30 energy efficiency improvement and carbon reduction projects. These have resulted in a cumulative energy saving of about 4.5 per cent of COPL’s annual energy usage, equivalent to a carbon abatement of 3,700 tonnes CO2 equivalent (CO2e).

Among the noteworthy projects are an optimisation of solvent charges in batch reactors, yielding an estimated annual energy saving of 10 terajoules (TJ), and a reduction in soot blowing frequency at waste heat boilers, leading to an annual saving of 6.9 TJ.

Furthermore, COPL has utilised rooftop spaces for the installation of approximately 275 solar panels. These generate an estimated 170,000 kilowatt hours of electrical energy annually, contributing to a carbon abatement of 70 tonnes CO2e per year. These efforts helped the company snag the Excellence in Energy, Greenhouse Gas (GHG) Management accolade at the EENP Awards 2023.

COPL operates under an ISO 50001 certified comprehensive energy management system at its lubricant additives manufacturing facility, the largest of its kind in the Asia-Pacific region.

This involves routine monitoring of the efficiency performance of significant energy users through a digital dashboard. Regular updates are provided to management and key departments, ensuring that any deviations are promptly addressed.

A marginal abatement cost curve study has been instrumental to COPL’s energy management strategies. This analytical tool provides a visual representation of various abatement opportunities, ranking them based on their relative cost and GHG reduction potential. As a result, it has helped COPL to prioritise projects that offer the most value in terms of both cost and carbon reduction.

Employee involvement has also been pivotal in the success of COPL’s energy management. The process engineering team regularly participates in brainstorming sessions aimed at identifying and implementing energy-saving initiatives. Also, “energy champions” are nominated from each operations shift team to seek energy improvement ideas from their team members and to drive for implementation.

“We aim to cultivate a culture that values energy-efficient solutions,” said Keng Yang Lim, general manager of manufacturing and supply chain for the Asia-Pacific region at Chevron Oronite. “This award is an important testament of Chevron Oronite’s goal towards lowering the carbon intensity of our operations.”

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Beyond project-specific initiatives, COPL has invested in nurturing a corporate culture that values energy-efficient solutions. Interactive sessions are held across departments to facilitate discussions on energy conservation.

For new hires, computer-based training module on “energy and GHG awareness” has been deployed. Four engineers have even been sponsored for Singapore Certified Energy Manager training, further illustrating the importance the company places on energy management expertise.