Nissan Barcelona Plant Cuts CO2 Emissions by 12% Since 2005

Barcelona - Nissan Motor Co.'s Barcelona plant, its biggest manufacturing plant in Spain, has reduced CO2 emissions by 9,400 tonnes or 12% since 2005, exceeding the company's 2010 target for its plants around the world.

The 2010 target calls for a 7% reduction in plant CO2 emissions compared with the level in 2005. The cuts at the Zona Franca plant were accomplished through several measures, including climate, air-conditioning and light controls and renovations to the plant to reduce leaks of compressed air.

Together with the light commercial vehicle plant in Avila, the company has reduced manufacturing CO2 emissions by almost 7% in Spain since 2005.

By 2010, Nissan expects its plants in Spain to have reduced CO2 emissions by a total of 16,000 tonnes or 13% compared with the level in 2005, with the Zona Franca plant alone expected to have cut emissions by 20%.

Several new CO2-reducing measures are expected to help the plants accomplish their goals. Last year, the plants installed a total of 1,338 photovoltaic and thermal solar panels. The solar panels will allow the plants to cut CO2 emissions by a combined 377 tonnes a year.

Zona Franca also recently introduced 10% bio-diesel fuel for vehicles that operate within the plant, which will cut CO2 emissions by 177 tonnes a year.

Among other environmental measures, the plants will also increase their recycling of waste - including scrap metal, oil and plastic - to 6.6% by 2010, up from 2% at present thanks to improvements in waste management. The plants are also implementing measures to improve the reuse and recovery of water following an exhaustive analysis of such processes.