Cargill Nebraska plant completes $4 million in energy upgrades
If passersby driving on U.S. Highway 30 notice a green glow coming from Cargill’s Schuyler, Neb., processing facility, there is no need to worry. That is because the glow is probably due to the environmental and dollar cost-saving benefits being generated from $4.2 million in recently completed lighting and boiler upgrades inside the half-million-square-foot plant.
A facility wide investment in the most efficient fluorescent lighting available is providing better quality lighting, reducing utility costs and lowering annual electricity usage by more than 2 million kilowatt hours. That is enough electricity savings to provide power to 174 houses for an entire year. The newly installed boiler will improve the plant’s steam efficiency by nearly 11 percent, reducing energy use and greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions compared to the aging boiler it replaced.