Low-Carbon Heroes

TVA has announced the names of those who earned this year’s Carbon Reduction Award for businesses served by local power companies.

“This award gives us an opportunity to honor companies who share our commitment to improving air quality and the health of our communities,” said Dan Pratt, TVA vice president of Customer Delivery. “The efforts of these businesses have enabled us lower the overall carbon rate in the Valley, and that makes our region a great place to live and work.

“The combination of low rates, reliable energy and a commitment to reducing our carbon footprint enables us to attract capital investment to the Valley,” he continued. “The businesses we are recognizing with the Carbon Reduction Award are improving the Valley’s environment and making a difference in their local communities.”

This year’s recipients, and the LPC that serves them, are:

Lowest Carbon Emissions Category Winners

• Enbridge, Inc. (Franklin Electric Cooperative)
• Evonik Industries (Etowah Utilities)
• Grupo Antolin (Pennyrile Rural Electric Cooperative)
• Mississippi State University (Starkville Utilities)
• Occidental Chemical Corporation (Meriwether Lewis Electric Cooperative)
• Prince Erachem Inc. (Meriwether Lewis Electric Cooperative)
• Superior Graphite (Hopkinsville Electric System)

Most Improved Carbon Emissions Category Winners

• Evonik Industries (Etowah Utilities)
• Hoeganaes Corporation (Gallatin Department of Electricity)
• Middle Tennessee State University (Murfreesboro Electric Department)
• Nissan Motor Company, (Middle Tennessee Electric Membership Cooperative)
• Superior Graphite (Hopkinsville Electric System)

According to Pratt, TVA carbon dioxide emissions are down 51 percent and are on track to be about 60 percent below 2005 levels before 2020 – that is about twice as much as the U.S. energy industry as a whole for the same time period. This performance has also helped make the region’s air quality better now than when measurements began in the 1970s.

“We could not have achieved these reductions alone. “It takes a team of TVA, local power companies and Valley industries to collaborate effectively to achieve these reductions,” said Pratt.