Energy Use

In 2010, we met 74 percent of our operations' energy needs through the use of renewable and carbon-neutral biomass fuels such as bark, wood residuals and other organic byproducts. Much of the fuel we use in our cellulose fibers mills is consumed in boilers to generate high-pressure steam, which is used to generate electric power and heat. The latter is used to soften and separate wood fibers from each other and to dry pulp and paper.

Boilers can run on fossil fuels, but they can also use biomass—for example, bark and lignin—that is a byproduct of making pulp. Unlike fossil fuels, which emit carbon into the atmosphere from geologic sources that are not renewable, carbon associated with the combustion of biomass is part of a natural cycle that maintains a carbon balance by removing emitted carbon from the atmosphere through photosynthesis and storing it in plants, trees and soil. This balance is reflected in widely-accepted science acknowledging that the combustion of wood biomass for energy in countries with increasing forest inventories (like the United States for example) does not increase atmospheric carbon. This biomass fuel source helps reduce our dependence on fossil fuels and contributes to the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions.

We are leaders in the use of highly efficient co-generation, such as combined heat and power, which is much more efficient than stand-alone generation. In some cases, we sell biomass-based renewable energy to the market. During 2010, we entered into several transactions involving the sale of "Green Tags." A "Green Tag" is a renewable energy certificate representing the environmental attributes associated with generating energy from renewable sources, including biomass fuel. The energy associated with the sale of these renewable energy credits is less than 1 percent of the total biomass energy used by the company.

ENERGY EFFICIENCY

In 2010, we continued our focus on energy efficiency and sought opportunities to reduce energy intensity in the manufacturing of our products. We continued systematically evaluating our energy use within our operating facilities to identify opportunities for efficiencies and savings. We implemented best practices, both operational and technological, to reduce energy use while increasing awareness in sustainable energy efficiency. Progress in reducing our energy intensity has been hampered by market conditions which have meant that many of our manufacturing operations have run below capacity, and thus, less efficiently.

In 2010, Weyerhaeuser’s cellulose fibers and iLevel businesses took the U.S. Department of Energy Save Energy Now LEADER pledge. As part of this pledge, these operations committed to reduce energy intensity by 25 percent over 10 years. The first step of this commitment is to establish an energy intensity baseline, against which future progress will be measured. Our baseline is currently in the final stages of development.

In 2010, we undertook a lighting upgrade project at our Raymond, Wash., softwood lumber mill. The project retrofitted approximately 1300 lighting fixtures with current best practices in lighting technology, and also installed sensors on lighting fixtures. In the manufacturing area of the mill, these sensors are expected to reduce energy use by 25 percent. Together, the upgrades will result in an energy savings equivalent to the annual electrical demand of 250 homes.

Weyerhaeuser also participated with the U.S. EPA in the development of a Pulp & Paper Energy Guide and Energy Performance Indicator Tools for pulp mills and integrated pulp & paper mills. These tools can be used to guide future energy efficiency activities.

ENERGY USE DATA