OREANDA-NEWS. Fourteen General Motors plants around the world achieved the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's ENERGY STAR® Challenge for Industry, collectively cutting energy intensity by an average of 17 percent. The new achievers, which include a foundry and assembly plants, bring GM to an industry-leading total of 70.

To meet the challenge, industrial sites must reduce energy intensity by 10 percent in five years or less. All 14 sites achieved the goal in four years at most, with most meeting it in less than two years.

By doing so, GM avoided USD 33 million in energy costs and reduced 220,000 metric tons of carbon dioxide. That is comparable to the greenhouse gas benefit of 5 million tree seedlings grown for 10 years.

“Our employees are dedicated to our global customers and communities,” said Jim DeLuca, GM executive vice president of Global Manufacturing. “They not only contribute to our energy-saving activities every day, they proactively suggest innovative ideas that help to further reduce our impact on the environment.”

At GM's global manufacturing facilities, energy reductions are communicated and measured alongside other business priorities such as quality and production rates.

The following facilities met the challenge for the first time:

Bupyeong 1 Assembly Plant (South Korea)

Bupyeong Engine 2 Plant (South Korea)

Dongyue Foundry (China)

Gravatai Assembly Plant (Brazil)

Qingdao Assembly Plant (China)

Bay City Powertrain (Michigan)

Warren Transmission Operations (Michigan)

They join the following repeat achievers:

Rayong Truck Assembly Plant (Thailand)

Jinqiao Powertrain (China)

Qingdao Engine Plant (China)

Norsom 2 Assembly Plant (China)

Bowling Green Assembly Plant (Kentucky)

Pontiac Stamping Plant (Michigan)

Silao Transmission Plant (Mexico)

Dongyue Foundry reduced energy intensity by 12.1 percent in the casting process by automating energy shutdown, making the most of hydraulic pumping, and improving metal melting and pouring systems.

Plants in China and South Korea have a strong track record of meeting the challenge. Qingdao Assembly and Dongyue join 10 other GM ENERGY STAR achievers in China. Bupyeong's two new achievers bring the company's total to nine in South Korea.

Gravatai Assembly recently removed air dryers and now uses hot air from its compressors to remove moisture from the compressed air that supplies the plant, including its paint shop - a switch that saves USD 130,000 per year.

Bay City Powertrain and Warren Transmission are other first-time achievers. Bay City replaced or retrofitted 1,500 light fixtures with energy-efficient bulbs, many of which now have a motion sensor. The team also added weather stripping to prevent air leaks. Warren Transmission implemented an energy management system to schedule lighting, air conditioning and chilled water systems to be on only when needed.

Bowling Green Assembly, the home of the Chevrolet Corvette Stingray, and Pontiac Stamping are the first GM plants in the world to meet the challenge three times.

Worldwide, GM is working toward a commitment to reduce energy and carbon intensity from its facilities 20 percent by 2020. The company received back-to-back ENERGY STAR Partner of the Year - Sustained Excellence awards and remains the only automaker signatory of the Climate Declaration. GM also achieved perfect scores on both climate change data disclosure and performance submitted to CDP.