Business case on RECP assessment in "Ararat-Chanshin" LLC
"Ararat-Chansin" is well-renowned in the construction and building materials sectors. It provides services for the construction, installation, and repair works of roads, and it manufactures various products such as asphaltic concrete, building sand, crushed stone, and mineral powders. The company extracts its materials from its own quarry and uses advanced technological equipment for the industrial production of construction materials. Motivated to achieve a more energy-efficient production facility (integrated into its growth plans), the company participated in the RECP demonstration project under EaP GREEN (2013-2017). This publication shows the company’s experience reported after the monitoring exercise conducted in 2021, four years after the programme ended.
The RECP assessment examined the production site, and identified 8 options out of which 7 were implemented:
- Replacement of the electrical heating in the bitumen receiving system with natural gas technology
- Machinery maintenance and repair
- Improved building envelope thermal insulation
- Replacement of doors and windows
- Improved lighting system and the introduction of LED
- More-efficient heating system based on natural gas and hot water circulation
- Renovation of old (worn-out) main production equipment
Replacement of the electric heating system with a natural gas one: options 1 and 6 proposed natural gas as the best energy source for heating. A natural gas boiler was incorporated, pipelines and reservoirs were properly isolated, and recirculation of hot water was achieved for better efficiency.
Improving building isolation: options 3 and 4 addressed the issue of heat losses from the heated areas into the external environment by reducing energy consumption.
Repairing and modernization of the equipment and facility: options 2, 5, and 7 were focused on upgrading the production facility. Lighting systems were retrofitted and the LED technology was introduced. Old and worn-out machinery was evaluated, concluding with actions of either repair or substitution. As well, the company also opted for upgrading its facility by installing a new asphalt production line, including a new vehicle fleet. As a result, asphalt production increased four times, all while keeping the energy and natural gas consumption in considerably low rates.
