ABB's Brazilian Plant Moves to Energy-Efficient Manufacturing of Smart Building Components

Summary

ABB has achieved annual energy savings of 530 MWh and a reduction of 160 tons in CO₂e emissions¹ at its Belo manufacturing facility in Contagem, southeast Brazil. The savings follow implementation of sustainability initiatives including installation of solar panels, solar water heaters, LED lamps and skylights, and frequency inverters. The facility has also deployed ABB Ability Energy Manager for the metering, control and optimization of energy consumption.  

ABB’s Belo plant started operations in 1975 and produces 42,000 poles a day for the manufacturing of NEMA residential circuit breakers. These miniature circuit breakers protect homes from the potential risks caused by overcurrent or short circuit events. The site is part of the ABB Mission to Zero™ program which supports the company’s commitment to reduce Scope 1 and Scope 2 GHG emissions by 100% by 2050². Driven by local teams, sites focus on improving efficiencies through energy generation, management and storage using ABB’s innovative technologies and third-party integration.  
 
The new initiatives build on a CO₂e emissions reduction of over 128 tons in 2023 due to green energy purchase. A further reduction of 34 tonnes was achieved, following the installation of solar panels, upgrading heating, ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC) equipment and the installation of enhanced frequency inverters on equipment in the molding and stamping areas. Energy consumption was reduced by approximately 420 MWh a year by adding energy frequency inverters in two main production areas with high energy use. The installation of solar panels is estimated to have contributed approximately 220 MWh of on-site generated renewable energy a year. ABB Ability Energy Manager provides insight data to identify new opportunities to further reduce energy consumption and optimizes energy efficiency in the process given the demand at different points and times. The ongoing implementation of an energy management system according to ISO 50001 will further drive energy-efficiency actions at the site. 

"The ABB Mission to Zero approach at Belo is another example of our aim to enable a lower-carbon society and our commitment to accelerate the transition to more sustainable manufacturing, while empowering our customers to optimize, electrify and decarbonize their operations,” said Mike Mustapha, president of ABB Electrification’s Smart Buildings division. “Significant reductions in energy consumption and CO₂e emissions have been achieved within a year of implementing changes. The highly motivated team at the facility went beyond efficient energy management to ensure that the site delivers zero production waste to landfill by the end of the year.” 

The Belo team is targeting further energy savings in 2024 by adding more solar panels to meet 30 percent of the site’s energy demand as well as installing inverters for compressor and pump machines and replacing existing forklift vehicles with electric ones.

About ABB

ABB is a technology leader in electrification and automation, enabling a more sustainable and resource-efficient future. The company’s solutions connect engineering know-how and software to optimize how things are manufactured, moved, powered, and operated. Building on over 140 years of excellence, ABB’s more than 105,000 employees are committed to driving innovations that accelerate industrial transformation.