Procalçado is strengthening energy efficiency and the decarbonization of its industrial operation through a set of measures that combines solar production for self-consumption, electrification, heat recovery, and reductions in consumption. The project is being developed in partnership with Helexia and Ewen by Helexia, as disclosed in a press release.
According to the same source, the factory now has a new photovoltaic plant for self-consumption, installed by Helexia, with 501 kWp of capacity and an estimated annual production of 673 MWh. The unit joins other solar plants already existing at the factory.
According to data released by the companies, the new plant is expected to avoid around 306.6 tonnes of CO₂ per year, while increasing local production of renewable electricity and reducing dependence on the power grid.
The project also includes energy efficiency and electrification measures developed by Ewen by Helexia, with direct intervention on the unit’s consumption. Among the objectives are reducing energy consumption and losses, lowering natural gas usage and recovering heat that previously was not used in the industrial processes.
The intervention thus seeks to act on both energy production and energy consumption, combining four strands: renewable production, energy efficiency, electrification and heat recovery.
“The decarbonization of industry is today also a question of competitiveness and resilience. In an energy market that is increasingly volatile, it is not enough to produce more renewable energy. It is necessary to consume less, eliminate waste, recover energy, and progressively replace fossil fuels with more efficient solutions,” says Luis Pinho, Country Director of Helexia Portugal.
“This is the integrated approach we are developing with Procalçado, giving the company greater control over how it produces and uses energy,” he adds.
For José Azevedo Pinto, CEO of Procalçado, the strategy involves intervening in different components of the industrial operation. “We are producing more renewable energy, but we are also electrifying processes, recovering heat that was previously wasted and improving the efficiency of the equipment. The goal is to reduce consumption and emissions, but also to make the factory more efficient and prepared for the future,” he says.
In addition to reducing emissions associated with energy consumption, the approach aims to reduce the operation’s exposure to energy price volatility and increase control over a significant component of industrial costs.
