Energy plan and climate roadmap for Bayer Agriculture
The creation of the EBO energy plan and corresponding climate roadmap for the Bayer Agriculture site in Antwerp, consisting of four energy-intensive chemical production departments. Due to the different owners of the departments on the site and the large scale of the installations, there are many challenges but also many opportunities for energy savings and electrification.
Solution
Sweco developed the new Energy Plan for the third round of the EBO (Energy Policy Agreement) for the Bayer Crops site in Antwerp. This started with a brainstorming session and tour for each of the departments. Subsequently, an overview of the available waste heat potential was created, and a pinch analysis was performed to map the potential for heat integration.
The first phase was completed with the creation of a long list of energy-saving measures in which almost 100 identified measures were listed and high-level screened. This resulted in a shortlist of about 50 measures that were further elaborated by Sweco, in close cooperation with the process engineers and site leads of Bayer.
The most impactful energy projects included in the energy plan are in the areas of heat integration and electrification through the use of heat pumps and mechanical vapor recompression. In addition, a series of cost-efficient (control technology) optimizations were included in the plan. Overall, a savings potential of approximately 40% of the total natural gas consumption was identified in the proposed projects.
Subsequently, in close cooperation, an overarching decarbonization roadmap/climate roadmap is being developed for Bayer with a focus on identifying actions, technologies, and exploratory scenarios for the transition to a low-carbon production process.
Bayer Agriculture: “An external party that looks at the production processes with new eyes, keeping in mind extensive expertise in the field of energy, is a clear added value in the creation of the energy plan for the site. The collaboration between Sweco and Bayer went smoothly, and the result is an ambitious and realistic plan that we can work with in the coming years.”
Value Proposition
As external energy experts, an overview can be created across the departments. In addition, the Sweco team also proved its added value by acting as a bridge between the customer and several potential suppliers. This ensures a better substantiation of the savings and cost estimation and facilitates the step towards implementation.
The assignment resulted in an EBO Energy Plan that was called above expectations by the VBBV (Verification Agency of the Flemish Government) itself.
