General Motors India’s Talegaon manufacturing plant is one of 54 GM facilities worldwide to meet a voluntary energy-reduction challenge set by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), cutting its energy intensity by 12 percent in less than two years to meet the EPA’s ENERGY STAR® Challenge for Industry Award.
To meet the ENERGY STAR Challenge for Industry Award, facilities need to reduce energy intensity by 10 percent within five years. Talegaon manufacturing plant reduction avoided 4,419 tons of CO2 from entering the atmosphere.
“Our employees are committed to helping increase our global operations’ energy efficiency,” said Mike Robinson, GM Vice President of sustainability and global regulatory affairs. “They remain at the core of our progress. He said, “the total amount of energy savings across all GM manufacturing plants is $90 million and most of the plants are located in the U.S. and Asian countries.”
Commenting on the Talegaon Plant achievement, Mr. Lowell Paddock, President & Managing Director, General Motors India said “to achieve the challenge for industry award, our manufacturing plant used various innovative energy-saving strategies like adoption of energy efficient designs & technologies, optimization of process parameters, usage of reliable process controls and lighting systems among other energy saving methods to reduce energy consumption. Through a diligent environmental process, we have instilled a sense of responsibility to the environment that goes beyond our location in India. GM India’s Talegaon plant aims to further reduce its environmental footprint by observing heating and cooling guidelines, efficient operation of heating equipment and through reducing or shutting down energy use during non-production period. “
GM received an ENERGY STAR Partner of the Year award last year for energy management. Between 2005 and 2010, it reduced energy use in its global facilities by 28 percent and has since set a new goal to reduce 20 per cent energy intensity globally by 2020.
It may be recalled that General Motors India received the third prize for Energy Conservation at the National Energy Conservation Awards 2010 in the Automobile Manufacturing Sector. Also in 2011, GM India’s Talegaon manufacturing plant bagged two awards in State Level competition for Excellence in Energy Conservation and Management in the Automobile Manufacturing Sector.
For more information on GM’s environmental commitment, visit its sustainability report and environmental blog.
General Motors Co. (NYSE:GM, TSX: GMM) and its partners produce vehicles in 30 countries, and the company has leadership positions in the world’s largest and fastest-growing automotive markets. GM’s brands include Chevrolet and Cadillac, as well as Baojun, Buick, GMC, Holden, Isuzu, Jiefang, Opel, Vauxhall and Wuling. More information on the company and its subsidiaries, including OnStar, a global leader in vehicle safety, security and information services, can be found at https://www.gm.com.
ENERGY STAR was introduced by EPA in 1992 as a voluntary, market-based partnership to reduce greenhouse gas emissions through energy efficiency. Today, the ENERGY STAR label can be found on more than 60 products as well as new homes and commercial and industrial buildings that meet strict energy-efficiency specifications set by the EPA. Last year alone, Americans, with the help of ENERGY STAR, saved $18 billion on their energy bills while reducing the greenhouse gas emissions equivalent to those of 34 million vehicles.