- The use of waste heat in the industrial process will enable the Japanese multinational, which produces graphite electrodes in its factory in La Coruña, to contribute to achieving decarbonisation objectives by reducing primary energy consumption and therefore the emission of pollutants emissions and lowering their energy costs.
- This will prevent a total emission to the atmosphere of more than 2,772 tons of CO2 per year, equivalent to planting 16,632 trees.
- Endesa X completed the work without affecting the industrial production process and automated the system for it to be able to work autonomously by recovering heat from the baking ovens.
- The project received one of the Galicia Energy Awards 2022 granted by the Official College of Industrial Engineers in Galicia.
Endesa X has developed a heat recovery system for the Japanese multinational Showa Denko, the world's largest supplier of high-power graphite electrodes, for its production plant in Spain, located in the A Grela industrial estate in A Coruña. This system uses the thermal energy lost in the baking stage for graphite electrodes. This will enable significant savings of up to 70% in the consumption of gas boilers and 30% in the electricity consumption for the heaters.
This will enable significant improvement in the energy efficiency of this plant that produces graphite electrodes, and contribute to making progress in the commitment to the decarbonisation of both companies. It is estimated that with the implementation of this system it will be possible to avoid the emission of 2,772 tons of CO2 into the atmosphere each year, which would be equivalent to the absorption capacity of 16,632 trees.
Specifically, Endesa X was responsible for the design and execution of the installation, where the heat produced by the baking ovens is used as a heat source. The air that comes out of the chimneys exits at more than 1,000ºC.
This project has enabled Showa Denko to reduce its initial consumption by 12 GWh of natural gas and 3 GWh of electricity per year, since the recovered heat saves the energy that would have been used with the traditional production method.
According to David Germade, Showa Denko's plant manager, "In our industrial processes that use high temperatures, it is ideal to install this heat recovery system, as it is estimated that between 20 and 50% of the energy consumed in industrial processes is lost in the form of waste heat. By taking advantage of that reusable energy, we achieve a triple objective: Reducing primary energy consumption, the emission of pollutants and energy costs, with the added benefit that this primary energy is natural gas that contributes to an increase in the generation of greenhouse gases, so by reducing consumption we reduce the carbon footprint".
The General Manager of Endesa X, Davide Ciciliato, added that "in an intensive industrial process such as here at Showa Denko, a commitment to circular solutions such as heat recovery is the key to reducing energy consumption, dependence on fossil fuels and ensuring the environmental and economic sustainability of the business in the long term. Endesa X is aware of this and we have a Net-Zero emissions plan that we adapt to each client, where solutions such as heat recovery are included in a 4-phase plan with one objective: To make companies carbon neutral through energy saving and efficiency, the electrification of processes, self-consumption, renewable supply and compensation strategies".
Regulation and control
Endesa X has installed a system that is automatically regulated from a control panel that modulates the automatic oil valves and the air dampers. This enables you to keep an ongoing record of all the activity, periodic reports and evaluation of the energy recovered at all times.
The design and execution of this project was undertaken under the turnkey modality, with verification of the operation and guaranteeing both maintenance, and savings. Endesa X was also responsible for all the administrative processes and the start-up of the installation.
About Endesa
Endesa is the largest electricity company in Spain and the second largest in Portugal. The company is also the second largest gas operator in the Spanish market. Endesa operates an end-to-end generation, distribution and marketing business. Through Endesa X it also offers value-added services aimed at the electrification of energy usage in homes, companies, industries and Public Administrations. A new line of business has also been created. Endesa X Way is fully dedicated to electric mobility. Endesa is firmly committed to the United Nations SDGs and strongly supports the development of renewable energies through Enel Green Power España, the digitalisation of grids through e-distribution, and corporate social responsibility (CSR). The Endesa Foundation is also active in CSR-related matters. Our workforce numbers around 9,260 employees. Endesa is a division of Enel, Europe’s largest electricity group.
Endesa X is Endesa's business line dedicated to energy efficiency. Endesa X is a division of Enel X Global Retail and a leader in the development of innovative solutions in support of energy transition. It is aimed at consumers, companies and administrations, providing a modular and integrated offer based on their needs and promoting the electrification of energy uses and digitalisation as motors driving the creation of new value. Endesa X's ecosystem of solutions includes products and services for the optimisation and self-generation of electricity and premium energy efficiency solutions, with the aim of helping customers to create their energy roadmap. Globally, Enel X Global Retail manages demand response services, with 6.7 GW of total capacity. It has installed more than 2.8 million street lighting points worldwide and provides energy services to 62 million residential customers on a daily basis.
About Showa Denko
Showa Denko K.K. is a business group founded in 1939 in Japan, with a capital of USD 1,600 million as at 31 December 2021 and some 26,054 employees worldwide. Its main sectors of activity are petrochemical, chemical, inorganic, aluminium and electronics. SDK's acquisition of the graphite electrode business, completed in 2017, enabled it to become a true global leader in the electrode industry.
In order to contribute to achieving sustainability, the Showa Denko Group undertakes its activities taking into consideration not only product quality and safety, but also the environment, resources, human rights and compliance, as well as the entire supply chain. When implementing and undertaking the above activities, Showa Denko promotes initiatives in cooperation with its business partners and society in general, based on the promotion of Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR).
Showa Denko Carbon Division (SDCD) is categorised within the inorganic business area. It is the world's largest supplier of graphite electrodes for use in steel mills (in electric arc furnaces) and non-ferrous products industries.
Approximately 1/3 of the world's steel is produced by recycling steel in electric arc furnaces, making it the largest recycling process in the world. This production avoids about 80% of direct CO2 emissions per ton of steel. The alternative process for manufacturing steel is the blast furnace, which generates three times more CO2 emissions than the scrap-metal recycling process.
SDCD has a regional structure divided into America, Asia and EMEA (which also includes CIS*, India and Cuba) so that business can be adapted to the particularities of each region. Within the EMEA area there are the plants in Austria and A Coruña.
Showa Denko Carbon Spain S.A.U (SDCS) was founded as GENOSA in 1957 by a group of local investors and using technology from the French Pechiney group with the aim of consuming excess hydroelectric power in Galicia. In 1993 it became the property of the German group SGL and was renamed SGL Carbon S.A, until it was acquired by Showa Denko in 2017 who integrated it into its Carbon Division unit and gave it its current name.
The plant has 160 direct employees and staff of five different nationalities, as well as a number of representatives with global functions and with global responsibility.
During its 65 years of operation, it has produced more than 1.7 million tons of graphite electrodes, and is positioned as a leader in both safety, quality and productivity.
90% of its production is exported.
*CIS: Commonwealth of Independent States