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Since 2013, ICL has maintained its global corporate energy efficiency program, called Ambition Creates Excellence (ACE) with the purpose of developing a standard energy efficiency methodology to be applied at all its sites. ACE’s energy efficiency projects range from company-wide energy management and conservation methodology programs to production equipment optimization and raising awareness of energy conservation among ICL’s employees and contractors.
The ACE program delivers significant operational and maintenance savings, as well as quality improvements, beyond its core environmental aims of reducing fuel and electricity consumption and greenhouse gas emissions.
ACE’s main energy efficiency projects implemented to date include:
As part of the ACE program, ICL is implementing new and improved mandatory internal energy management systems. ICL sites are accredited to ISO 50001 by external accreditors (mandatory at ICL’s largest energy consuming sites), or by an internal energy management system assessed by an internal verification team (small and medium energy consuming sites). All major energy consuming sites have been accredited by ISO 50001 or the internal standard. In total, 14 out of 17 of ICL’s largest sites have been accredited by ISO which are accountable for approximately 90% of ICL’s total global energy consumption.
ICL’s Energy Policy applies to all of its global production sites. The policy focuses on energy efficiency practices and management systems described on this page. The recent update also details ICL’s steps towards implementation of renewable energy deployment.
The ACE program’s methodology is focused on energy efficiency, circularity, waste reduction, water savings and carbon emission reduction opportunities. This transformation is expected to encompass management and minimize all greenhouse gases (i.e. not just those resulting from energy consumption, but also those that result from processes, refrigeration systems, etc.).
ICL’s ACE energy efficiency plan has so far reduced energy expenses by approximately $87 million overall between 2013-21, as compared with 2012 (base year). The specific savings in 2021 were approximately $10 million, compared to 2020. The current goal is to achieve an additional $7 million in savings in 2022, compared with 2021. Cumulative energy savings since the Energy Centre of Excellence began operating in 2005 are estimated at approximately $190 million (not including savings from the transition to natural gas).
Not all cost –saving initiatives reduce energy consumption. For example: adapting production and/or maintenance schedules to increase usage of lower tariff energy supplies or converting from fuel oil to natural gas.
$87M reduction in energy expenses between 2013-21
$10M was saved in 2021 as compared with 2020
$190M cumulative energy savings since 2005
| units | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ACE CAPEX Target | $ millions | 10 | 10 | 10.0 | 10 | 17.7 | 13 |
| Invested | $ millions | 10 | 8.5 | 11.5 | 8.4 |
ICL's goal is to achieve annual year-over-year improvement of energy intensity in over 50% of all product-based intensity KPIs.
To ensure that the ACE plan conserves energy, and as part of the requirements of ISO 50001, ICL uses product-based energy intensity key performance indicators (KPIs). These KPIs, measured in terms of MWh/tonne produced, are tracked for over 60 key products. These are products that either have high production tonnages or high energy consumption.
Improving energy efficiency can go beyond ICL’s operational boundaries and include external collaborations with partners working together with ICL on energy savings. ICL Neot-Hovav is purchasing low-pressure steam from Ramat Negev Energy company. This steam is a by-product of the electricity generation process in Ramat Negev that was previously not utilized. The new externally purchased steam replaces most of the steam that ICL Neot-Hovav previously generated in its own boilers, thus significantly reducing the site’s natural gas consumption and emissions. This collaboration has produced a significant increase in overall efficiency, and emission reduction for both companies.
At ICL’s Dead Sea site, the bromine-chlorine plant produces bromine and chlorine for various industrial needs. During the chemical production process, hydrogen is created. As part of an overall air emissions reduction initiative that required the incineration of certain gases, it was decided to use the hydrogen by-product as fuel (which has no emissions other than water vapor), together with natural gas (a fossil fuel). This enables the bromine-chlorine plant to reduce its air emissions without adding emissions that occur when burning fossil fuels.
