Saint-Gobain on Track to Reduce Power Generation Carbon Emissions by Approximately 50 Percent at Worcester Campus
February 1st, 2023
Saint-Gobain, a worldwide leader in light and sustainable construction, recently upgraded the electric power generation system serving its Worcester, Massachusetts abrasives manufacturing facilities to better meet the growing demand for efficiently produced electricity and steam across the campus.
In the process, the world’s leading manufacturer of abrasives is poised to reduce the site’s energy use carbon emissions by approximately 50 percent.
Epsilon Associates led the state air permitting for Saint-Gobain by preparing a non-major Comprehensive Plan Application (nmCPA), a type of air quality permit, for the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection (MassDEP). The process, which started in 2020 and resulted in permit issuance in 2021, involved conducting noise and air dispersion modeling to mitigate any potential risk of air and noise pollution affecting the surrounding community.
Epsilon was contracted directly to A/Z Corp., a subsidiary of Cianbro. A/Z Corp. provided engineering design and construction management services to Saint-Gobain for development of the energy efficiency project.
Dorothy Buckoski, PE, an air quality engineer, consulting specialist and Epsilon firm Associate, brought her over 30 years of expertise to this effort, serving as Project Manager. AJ Jablonowski, PE and Dale Raczynski, PE served as project Principals, assisting with technical issues.
Part of the Saint-Gobain campus renovations included replacing older boilers with more efficient, streamlined technology. In the process, Epsilon additionally assisted in air permitting strategy for the Solar Mercury 50 model gas combustion turbine, which is a lower emitter of carbon dioxide and nitrogen oxides.
The Worcester campus houses the company’s manufacturing, warehousing, and corporate offices supported by approximately 1,000 employees.
Epsilon is grateful for the opportunity to assist Saint-Gobain in its ambitious goals for reducing its climate impact.
Epsilon has a proven track record with similar air quality and permitting projects for gas and oil turbines and engines, including for major institutions, power producers, and manufacturers. These projects include scores of energy saving projects, such as combined heat and power (CHP) plants and demand response (DR), for reliability and resiliency. The range of electricity output of projects we have served for air and acoustic services range from less than 100 Kilowatts (kW) to greater than 14 Megawatts (MW).
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Key Players:
Dorothy Buckoski, P.E., AIChE Fellow, is a chemical engineer who specializes in Air Quality Engineering & Consulting as an Associate for Epsilon. Her work leading large and small projects includes air quality, environmental compliance auditing and due diligence, toxic chemicals use and inventory reporting, and odor measurement and abatement.
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AJ Jablonowski, P.E., is a Principal and chemical engineer at Epsilon specializing in Air Permitting & Power Plant Permitting. His work includes environmental licensing, compliance and due diligence audits, air permit applications, pollution control studies, accidental release prevention, and regulatory applicability studies. He also acts as a technical resource for air pollution capture and control options, emissions tracking, and air regulatory interpretations.