4.25.2003 ET

(CSRwire) RACINE, WI - As part of SC Johnson's ongoing commitment to protect the global environment, the company will break ground today for the installation of a new system that transforms waste landfill methane gas into "green" energy using a process called cogeneration. SC Johnson Chairman Dr. H. Fisk Johnson, U.S. Representative Paul Ryan of Wisconsin, and others will gather to celebrate the launch of the project at the company's Waxdale manufacturing facility, 8311 16th Street, Sturtevant.

The site of the groundbreaking will house a turbine engine which, through a process called cogeneration, burns waste methane gas from a nearby landfill to produce electricity and steam to be used by the Waxdale facility. In a further innovation, the Waxdale plant will use waste methane gas generated by a local landfill as the fuel for the cogeneration procedure. SC Johnson is the first consumer products manufacturer to use the cogeneration process to power its main manufacturing site operations.

The waste methane gas will come from the Republic Services' Kestrel Hawk landfill site, one half mile to the east of Waxdale. SC Johnson will burn methane instead of fossil fuels, such as natural gas or coal. Through this process, the company expects to reduce Waxdale's emissions of carbon dioxide (CO2) and other greenhouse gases by 47 percent and cut fossil fuel energy use nearly in half by 2005.

"The greenhouse gases we save through this process will be equivalent to keeping 3,200 cars off the road per year," said Dr. H. Fisk Johnson, Chairman of SC Johnson. "That's right for SCJ, our community and our planet today - and even more important, it's right for the generations of tomorrow."

According to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), only about 30 U.S. companies have developed an energy recovery system utilizing otherwise wasted landfill methane. But SC Johnson is unique in its cogeneration process of using methane gas to make electricity and recovering waste heat for use in the Waxdale plant as steam.

"SC Johnson's commitment to the environment and renewable energy development reflects the values and innovative spirit of people in Southern Wisconsin," said U.S. Representative Paul Ryan (WI-01). "Their leadership also demonstrates that environmental stewardship can play a critical role in reducing the cost of doing business, which helps keep and create more jobs in today's economy."

The project is another step in SC Johnson's efforts in the U.S. EPA's Climate Leaders Initiative, a voluntary partnership to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. The system is projected to be fully operational by the end of 2003.

The groundbreaking takes place just three days after SC Johnson received the first-ever Lifetime Atmospheric Achievement Award from the U.S. EPA, recognizing the company for its longstanding commitment to protecting the ozone layer and climate. Scott Johnson, Vice President of Global Environmental and Safety Actions for SC Johnson, accepted the award on behalf of the company on Tuesday at the Earth Technologies Forum in Washington, D.C.

SC Johnson is a family-owned and -managed business dedicated to innovative, high-quality products, excellence in the workplace and a long-term commitment to the environment and the communities in which it operates. Based in Racine, Wisconsin, the company is one of the world's leading manufacturers of household cleaning products and products for home storage, personal care and insect control. It markets such well-known brands as WINDEX(R), PLEDGE(R), GLADE(R), SHOUT(R), ZIPLOC(R), EDGE(R) and RAID(R). The 117-year old company employs more than 12,000 people and sells products in about 100 countries. SC Johnson invests at least 5% of pretax profits (over four times the national average of corporate giving) into programs designed to improve quality of life in our host communities around the world.

SC Johnson Landfill Gas Green Energies Project Fact Sheet

What it is:

Cogeneration is the simultaneous production of both electricity and process steam through a single procedure. The electricity and steam are then used to power and/or heat a variety of manufacturing processes.The fuel for this project is waste methane gas collected at Republic Services' Kestrel Hawk landfill, which otherwise would be burned off in a flare.

What will it do:

By using waste methane rather than a fossil fuel such as coal or natural gas, SC Johnson's cogeneration system will reduce greenhouse gases by as much as 47 percent and cut reliance on non-renewable sources of energy nearly in half.

How the system will work:

Produced by Caterpillar Solar Turbine, the Centaur 40 Gas Turbine/Generator, will burn 100% landfill gas to roduce 3.2 megawatts of electrical power. The system will then also recover heat from the turbine's exhaust and use it to produce about 17,000 pounds per hour of plant steam. The steam will be used year round to supplement the process steam currently produced by four package boilers at Waxdale. Gas will be supplied in an existing pipeline running to the boiler house at Waxdale.

Why the system was created:

In its first year as a charter partner in the U.S. EPA's Climate Leaders Initiative, SC Johnson reduced global greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions by 6.2%. As part of the company's continued commitment to this voluntary GHG reduction program, SC Johnson has set a goal to reach a 23% production for all U.S. facilities and fleets, as a ratio to production, by 2005. The cogeneration project will play a vital role in reaching this reduction goal.Costs of the project: SC Johnson will invest $5 million in the system, and it will cost $200,000 to $300,000 annually to purchase the methane gas. These costs will be offset by an anticipated $2.4 million in green energy cost savings each year.

Project timeline:

The cogeneration system is expected to be fully operational by the end of 2003. The landfill will supply the necessary gas volumes for a minimum of 25 years.

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