Marathon Petroleum Earns Record Level of EPA Recognition for Energy Efficiency
December 6, 2022 /3BL Media/ - Marathon Petroleum Corp. (MPC) has set a refining industry record with six of its refineries, along with its San Antonio office building, receiving 2022 ENERGY STAR® efficiency certifications from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).
The certifications for these refineries mean their energy efficiency is superior to at least 75% of similar petroleum refineries across the U.S. The EPA confirms efficiency levels among similar refineries nationwide by referring to the Solomon Associates Energy Intensity Index™ (EII) metric. Refineries must have an EII level that ranks among the top 25% of their industry peers to qualify for ENERGY STAR certification. The MPC refineries certified this year have all previously earned this recognition:
- Anacortes, Washington – third consecutive certification, third overall
- Canton, Ohio – 17th consecutive certification (every year eligible)
- Detroit, Michigan – first certification since 2012, seventh overall
- Garyville, Louisiana – 17th consecutive certification (every year eligible)
- Robinson, Illinois – fifth consecutive certification, eighth overall
- St. Paul Park, Minnesota – fourth consecutive certification, fifth overall
A primary factor behind MPC’s energy efficiency for more than a decade has been its Focus on Energy program, which establishes key performance indicators to guide energy management across sites. This program has helped avoid the equivalent of nearly 2 billion Btu per hour of energy use and over $65 million per year in costs. It’s roughly the same amount of energy used by over 100,000 homes or 200,000 gasoline-powered passenger vehicles in a year.
Indoor efficiency
The ENERGY STAR certification for MPC’s San Antonio office building is the second consecutive certification for the 659,000-square-foot structure and its sixth overall. To become certified, commercial buildings must achieve an ENERGY STAR score of 75 or higher based on their energy use as calculated with the ENERGY STAR Portfolio Manager® tool. The score accounts for differences in operating conditions, regional weather data and other considerations.
The EPA initiated the ENERGY STAR program in 1992 as a voluntary, market-based partnership to reduce greenhouse gas emissions through energy efficiency. The first ENERGY STAR label awards for commercial office buildings came in 1999. Refineries became eligible for this honor in 2006. Since then, MPC has received more ENERGY STAR certifications than all other refining companies combined.
