Industrial cooling towers consume vast amounts of resources. These installations can account for up to 80% of a site’s water consumption (in certain sectors) while also demanding significant energy input. With carbon neutrality targets by 2050, it is crucial for operators to adopt the best strategies. Transforming cooling applications and generating a sustainable return on investment is possible: here's how.
The growing complexity
Managing cooling systems is becoming more challenging.
- EU's climate commitments enclude emission cuts by 2030 and carbon neutrality by 2050. This directly impacts cooling systems that consume large amounts of energy and water.
- Environmental regulations are tightening on substances such as phosphorus, zinc, and azole, as well as on thermal discharges, water withdrawals and energy efficiency.
- Economic uncertainty and unpredictable prices increase the pressure to reduce costs and improve profits.
Sustainable transformation requires addressing all interdependent aspects: compliance, productivity, impacts, and profitability.
The cost of inaction
Without immediate action, consequences might include:
- Non-compliance penalties (up to 2% of annual turnover), reputational damage, and business disruptions
- Excessive energy consumption and high operating costs, with energy potentially representing up to 80% of a tower's OPEX
- Given that cooling systems are the first or second largest water consumer at an industrial site, a poor water treatment strategy will also inevitably have serious consequences.
With the innovative film forming cooling water treatment even the most challenging heat exchangers (high temperature, low flow) can be kept at maximum capacity minimising the risk of production limitation.
Choosing the right partner
To turn these challenges into opportunities and to support you on the path to sustainability and carbon neutrality, Veolia offers a global approach that goes beyond a conventional chemical program: Cooling Horizon 2030.
Cooling Horizon 2030 integrates three areas of focus:
- Our increasingly innovative treatments, meeting or anticipating every regulatory change:
such as E.C.O Film - a competitive treatment without phosphorus or zinc,
and the biodegradable HYP 1500 bleach stabiliser. - Our Insight digital solutions for intelligent monitoring and compliance tracking, as well as their sustainability benefits.
- Environmental assessment and value creation expertise through our Customer Value Program to identify and calculate the gains associated with the implemented solutions and optimisation strategies (e.g., reuse).
Most chemical and monitoring programs for cooling promise equipment protection, compliance, and operational continuity. Cooling Horizon 2030 is a long-term partnership where we of course constantly optimise performance and compliance but also systematically seek to generate water, energy, and sustainability savings.
Proven results
The Cooling Horizon 2030 approach has already proven its value in real-world applications. Many manufacturers from different industries and company sizes have experienced measurable benefits from using this integrated method.
For example, one of our clients specialising in the distribution of industrial and medical gases in Europe, has achieved such savings as:
- 7.5 tonnes of CO2eq/year
- 138,000 m3/year of water saved
- €111,000 in operating costs saved per year since 2022
- One year of our treatment also helped reduce phosphorus discharges by 750 kg, representing 380 fewer tonnes of wet algae, thus a significant improvement in environmental impact in this aspect as well.
Explore the possibilities
As we approach 2030 and face pressure for carbon neutrality, the time has come for industrial companies to transform their cooling systems.
Every industrial cooling system has the potential to become more sustainable.
You don't need to pick just one goal - you can simultaneously improve efficiency, reduce environmental impact, and meet regulatory requirements
Contact Veolia to explore how Cooling Horizon 2030 can deliver sustainable ROI for your company.
