Magnitogorsk Iron and Steel Works (MMK) has been awarded the international Energy Management Insight Award for energy saving and improving the energy efficiency of its production processes in accordance with ISO 50001.
The steelmaker received the award at the Clean Energy Ministerial, a global international forum organised by the Energy Management Working Group (EMWG), part of the United Nations Industrial Development Organisation (UNIDO). Experts from 25 countries took part in the event.
Tareq Emtairah, director of UNIDO's energy department, in a congratulatory letter to Pavel Shilyaev, MMK's CEO noted that MMK's experience may be of interest to other companies. "An independent panel of international experts determined that your case study shows how an energy management system can be successfully integrated into existing business systems to better manage resources, sustain achieved savings, and continuously improve energy performance," he wrote. Mr. Emtairah also emphasised that productive use of resources and improved energy efficiency helps to significantly reduce the emissions of greenhouse gases.
MMK has implemented an energy management system (EMS) which is certified in accordance with the requirements of ISO 50001:2011. In September 2019, MMK's EMS successfully passed a re-certification audit and received a certificate from TÜV International Certification (Germany) which confirms the compliance of MMK's EMS with the requirements of ISO 50001:2011 for a three-year period.
MMK was able to increase its energy efficiency thanks to the active involvement of the company’s staff in energy saving activities. In 2019, employees submitted 921 innovative ideas using the corporate energy management platform app.
MMK’s projects to make its production more energy-efficient helped the company to save about RUB 500 million (US$7 million) in 2019. In the same year, MMK was awarded the UNIDO certificate for its contribution to sustainable development and environmental initiatives in the Chelyabinsk region, as well as for the successful implementation of its 'Energy Management of Industrial Enterprises' programme.
In accordance with MMK’s sustainable development goals, the company will further improve its energy efficiency through various measures, including organisational (such as regular energy efficiency evaluations, organisation of fuel and energy resources’ commercial account, low-cost energy-saving initiatives) and technical, which will incorporate usage of IT-technologies and creation of the digital model of the whole power complex of MMK.