Source: GreenBiz.com

NEW ORLEANS, La., May 25, 2006 - The Organizing Committee of the 28th Annual Industrial Energy Technology Conference, (IETC) has presented Dow with an award for leadership in energy management.

Sponsored by the Energy Systems Laboratory, Texas A&M University System, Louisiana Dept. of Natural Resources, the U.S. Department of Energy, and the Texas State Energy Conservation Office, the conference brought together members of the industrial energy community from regions of the world such as North America, Europe, and the Middle East to share best practices and the latest industrial innovations in energy management and waste reduction.

This award recognized Dow for its strong global focus on energy efficiency and recent results, including:

achieving aggressive EH&S 2005 goals related to energy efficiency -- reducing our energy intensity by 22% from 1994 -- 2005

maintaining strong corporate support and an energy efficiency organization to drive results at the site and business levels

using proven Six Sigma methodology and industry best practices to accelerate energy efficiency improvements

supporting external energy efficiency programs to help other energy consumers save energy, such as the Alliance to Save Energy's "Power is in Your Hands" residential energy efficiency campaign and the U.S. Department of Energy's "Save Energy Now" industrial energy efficiency campaign.

"Dow has long been an industry leader in energy efficiency, and this award not only recognizes our efforts and achievements but also enables us to further lead by example among our peers in industry," said Joe Almaguer, global energy efficiency leader, who accepted the award on Dow's behalf at the IETC conference today. "Collectively, all energy consumers can make a significant impact on energy consumption and energy independence."

From 1994 to 2005 Dow saved approximately $4 billion through energy efficiency efforts, helping to mitigate the impact of rising energy costs, while reducing greenhouse gas emissions. On May 3 Dow announced a new corporate goal to further reduce its worldwide energy intensity by 25% from 2005 to 2015.

"Effective energy management is critical to the global competitiveness of any energy-intensive manufacturer," said John Dearborn, global vice president for energy. "Energy efficiency is a win-win for the environment and the economy."

An independent case study of Dow's energy efficiency efforts employing Six Sigma methodology is available online (PDF).