Reduced costs at a major industrial producer

Background 

We were contacted by a major steel producer in Slovakia based on their knowledge of our expertise in energy trading and management. They wanted to know if it was possible to somehow reduce the cost of energy while maintaining or increasing profitability and operational excellence.  

Challenges

Steel alloy producers are among the largest consumers of electricity on the grid and therefore have to comply with stricter rules than other market participants. The act of disrupting production during peak hours could have negative effects on the business. It was our job to do a thorough analysis of all variables and identify individual processes that take place during production of steel that can be controlled without reducing overall profitability or causing other issues.  

15 MW
flexibility provided 

3 x 
daily activation 

200 000 EUR 
annual cost savings 

Solution 

Based on our approach as not as a supplier, but as a business partner, we worked together to carefully analyze potential solutions. The result was the identification of a number of processes that could be controlled in real time based on instructions from our control room to reduce the overall energy consumption of the furnaces. 

Even when all the other factors were taken into account, the increased profitability from the advanced power management is greater than the decrease in profit caused by temporary reduction in melting furnace production within a set time period. 

Results

Connecting to the flexibility aggregator has made the production plant more efficient in managing its electricity consumption and significantly reduced its energy costs. Because of the way our advanced algorithms predict energy prices, stoppages can be planned in advance and correlated with maintenance procedures, further increasing profitability. Thanks to Nano energies, European steel manufacturing is both more profitable and more environmentally sustainable.  

“Nano Energies consulting not only led to increased profits, but helped us identify other areas of our production that could be optimized. We were initially worried that changing production according to an outside schedule would be difficult, but we found ways to utilize the time effectively. Making steel is difficult business and we appreciate every advantage!”