U.S. Department of Energy - Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy

Advanced Manufacturing Office

New Cogeneration System Dedicated at Malden Mills

November 8, 1999

Secretary of Energy Bill Richardson today joined Congressman Martin Meehan (Mass.), Malden Mills' President and CEO Aaron Feuerstein and Solar Turbines President Gary Stroup in the dedication of a new cogeneration power system at the Malden Mills textile factory in Lawrence, Mass. The highly efficient, clean-burning Malden Mills cogeneration system was developed in partnership with the Department of Energy (DOE).

"The cogeneration power system we dedicated today will produce energy for the Mill while dramatically reducing the emissions of harmful pollutants," said Secretary Richardson. "This will make Malden Mills a model of energy efficiency and environmental responsibility while helping ensure a sound economic future for the Mill and its employees."

"Saving our atmosphere will save our corporation as well, if we look at it as a long term goal," Aaron Feuerstein, president and CEO of Malden Mills, said. "Today's cogeneration facility dedication is Malden Mills' way of saying that the needs of our corporation can be advanced by seriously considering and protecting the needs of the environment."

Cogeneration is a highly efficient technology because it combines two processes -- producing steam and generating electricity. When separate processes are used to produce steam and electricity roughly two-thirds of energy produced is wasted. The combined production of steam and electricity from the same energy source makes use of most of this wasted energy, greatly increasing fuel efficiency and reducing emissions.

President Clinton highlighted the 93-year-old Malden Mills, and its owner Aaron Feuerstein, as a model of corporate responsibility in his 1996 State of the Union speech. After a devastating fire in 1995, Feuerstein announced he would rebuild the factory and keep his employees on the payroll. The installation of the energy-efficient cogeneration system will help the company reduce energy costs -- up to one million dollars annually.

Malden Mills' cogeneration facility uses two innovative Solar Turbines Centaur Engines to produce steam and electricity (approximately 4 megawatts each or enough power to serve the needs of approximately 4000 homes). Pollution-preventing combustor liners used in the engines were developed under DOE's Continuous Fiber Ceramic Composites and Advanced Turbine Systems programs. The National Aeronautics and Space Administration also supported development of the liners.

Due to state environmental regulations, Malden Mills' permit for the cogeneration system took six years to obtain. The Department of Energy worked closely with Malden Mills and state officials and in 1998 reached an informal agreement that designated Malden Mills as a test site for new technology, which allowed a permit to be granted for the cogeneration facility.

Malden Mills cogeneration system supports a DOE initiative to double the use of combined heat and power systems in the United States by 2010 at which point cogeneration could produce 46 gigawatts of electricity, equal to the output of more than 50 large power plants. This Combined Heat and Power initiative extends to commercial, industrial and institutional buildings, and communities.

The Department of Energy researches, develops, and deploys clean, efficient and renewable energy technologies to help meet America's energy needs while protecting the environment and strengthening the economy. Energy technologies supported and promoted by the department will play a key role in providing Clean Energy for the 21st Century.