Fort Wayne Part of Major GM Investment
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As a subscriber you can listen to articles at work, in the car, or while you work out. Subscribe NowGeneral Motors Co. (NYSE: GM) says a multi-million dollar investment to install electrical generation equipment will make its Fort Wayne assembly plant more competitive for future business. Global Sustainability Manager Amanda Kurzman says the technology, which turns landfill gas into electricity, will save $3.5 million per year in Fort Wayne. The $11 million project is set to be complete by May.
December 4, 2013
News Release
Roanoke, Ind. — Fort Wayne Assembly announced today it will be part of a two-plant, $24-million investment by GM to turn landfill gas into electricity that will help power the facility.
The plant, which assembles Chevrolet Silverado and GMC Sierra full-size pickup trucks, will spend about $11 million to install equipment that will create 6.4 megawatts of electricity from landfill gas, a renewable energy source.
Lake Orion Assembly Plant, in Orion Township, Mich., will also install co-generation equipment.
The entire project will help GM avoid producing a combined 89,000 metric tons of CO2 per year, equivalent to the annual greenhouse gas emissions from 18,542 passenger vehicles. Fort Wayne Assembly will avoid approximately 39,000 metric tons of CO2 per year, and save just under $5 million in energy costs annually.
“This project converts landfill gas into our own electric energy for manufacturing,” said Dave Shenefield, Fort Wayne Assembly’s site utilities manager. “This makes good business sense, because it helps us save on energy costs, and it makes good environmental sense as it limits the amount of greenhouse gas released into the atmosphere.”
Fort Wayne Assembly has used landfill gas to create steam for its boilers since 2002. The electricity generation investment will increase the facility’s use of landfill gas four-fold, to 40 percent of its energy usage. Earlier this year, Fort Wayne was named an U.S. EPA Energy Star certified facility for its prudent energy management.
GM worked closely with its electricity supplier, United REMC, on the project.
“We understand how important GM is to the regional economy, so we wanted to do what we could to make this project a reality,” said Rob Pearson, United REMC chief executive officer. “We worked closely with GM to provide the proper infrastructure and rates to help GM help the environment, save money and move forward with new technology.
This investment will require installation of large-scale generation equipment, high-voltage electrical switchgear and a building structure to house and protect the system’s components for safe and efficient operations.
Construction on both projects has begun and is expected to be complete and operational by May of 2014.
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, its subsidiaries and joint venture entities sell vehicles under the Chevrolet, Cadillac, Baojun, Buick, GMC, Holden, Jiefang, Opel, Vauxhall and Wuling brands. More information on the company and its subsidiaries, including OnStar, a global leader in vehicle safety, security and information services, can be found at http://www.gm.com
Source: General Motors Co.
December 4, 2013
News Release
Detroit, Mich. — General Motors announced today a $24-million investment in electrical generation equipment that will allow the company to use more landfill gas at its Fort Wayne, Ind., and Orion, Mich., assembly plants.
The new equipment will generate more than 14 megawatts of electricity from landfill gas, a renewable energy source, which will help GM avoid producing more than 89,000 metric tons of CO2 per year. That’s equivalent to the annual greenhouse gas emissions of 18,542 passenger vehicles. GM also will save a combined $10 million in energy costs each year at the facilities.
The investment will provide powerhouse construction at each assembly plant, as well as generation equipment and machinery.
“We have made a public commitment to increase our use of renewable energy within GM to 125 megawatts by 2020,” said Rob Threlkeld, GM global manager of renewable energy. “This expansion represents more than 10 percent of that goal.”
Orion Assembly has used landfill gas since 1999. Currently it helps heat a portion of an upgraded paint shop that uses half the energy per vehicle as the one it replaced. When the electric-generation project is completed, 54 percent of Orion’s energy will come from renewable landfill gas.
Fort Wayne Assembly has used landfill gas since 2002. The investment will increase its landfill gas use four-fold, to 40 percent. Earlier this year, Fort Wayne was named a U.S. EPA Energy Star certified facility for its prudent energy management.
“With this project in place, we are converting landfill gas into our own electricity, which, in essence, allows us to act as our own utility,” said Bill Mortimer, GM co-generation project manager. “Not only does this help us save on energy costs, but it limits the amount of greenhouse gas released into the atmosphere.”
The excess gas flare that normally escapes into the air is now redirected into the facility to create electricity energy for manufacturing.
Construction on both projects has begun, and is expected to be complete and operational by May of 2014.
For more information on GM’s environmental commitment, visit its sustainability report and environmental blog.
About General Motors Co.
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, its subsidiaries and joint venture entities sell vehicles under the Chevrolet, Cadillac, Baojun, Buick, GMC, Holden, Isuzu, Jiefang, Opel, Vauxhall and Wuling brands. More information on the company and its subsidiaries, including OnStar, a global leader in vehicle safety, security and information services, can be found at http://www.gm.com.
Source: General Motors Co.