Southern Company, one of the nation’s premier energy companies, has named Tyson Foods Inc. as the winner of its 2001 Southern Company Award for Excellence in Energy Efficiency, in recognition of the company’s commitment to energy efficiency across all operations. Working with Southern Company to implement a comprehensive energy management plan, Tyson Foods has reduced energy use by almost 50 million kilowatt hours.
“Tyson Foods is continually looking for ways to make their operations more energy efficient,” said Leonard Haynes, Southern Company’s chief marketing officer, who presented the award today to Tyson Foods. “The entire company is committed to energy efficiency, and that commitment begins at the top. We’re proud to have the opportunity to work with such a progressive company that understands the importance of efficient energy use, not only for their own company and their customers, but also for our society.”
Headquartered in Springdale, Ark., Tyson Foods is the world’s largest fully integrated producer, processor and marketer of chicken and chicken-based convenience foods. With the recent acquisition of beef and pork producer IBP, Inc., Tyson now becomes the largest meat producer in the United States. Tyson Foods is the recognized market leader in almost every retail and foodservice market it serves.
With the help of Southern Company subsidiary Energy Solutions, Tyson Foods continually refines its operational procedures, uses advanced technologies and compares best practices to improve energy efficiency at all of its locations. Examples include lighting, where the company has upgraded to energy efficient technology at most of the company’s processing plants, hatcheries and offices in the United States. These lighting replacements reduce energy usage while maintaining, or in many cases improving, the level of lighting.
Tyson Foods is also completing energy efficiency assessments on the production equipment at each of its large processing plants. The company is installing upgrades such as innovative control systems to manage energy usage and reduce water consumption. Improvements are also being made to hot water and steam systems, with the most recent boiler and water heating technology.
“These outstanding efforts show Tyson’s commitment to improve the operation and efficiency of their processes by implementing the latest technology and exploring new environmental advancements,” added Haynes. “In addition, Tyson has set standards in their industry organic farming, residual product recycling and water purification. They are a good corporate citizen and a valued customer -- we’re proud to present them with this year’s Southern Company Award for Excellence in Energy Efficiency.”
“We’re pleased and honored to have been chosen for this award,” stated John Tyson, Chairman and CEO of Tyson Foods, Inc., who accepted the award on behalf of the company. “Now more than ever before, we feel it is our duty to conserve resources and protect the environment in the areas in which we live and work.”
Southern Company (NYSE: SO) is a super-regional energy company with more than 32,000 megawatts of electric generating capacity in the Southeast. It is one of the largest producers of electricity in the United States. Southern Company is the parent firm of Alabama Power, Georgia Power, Gulf Power, Mississippi Power, Savannah Electric, Southern Nuclear, Southern Company Energy Solutions, Southern LINC, Southern Telecom and Southern Power, which includes the company`s growing competitive generation business in the Southeast. Southern Company brands are synonymous with excellent customer service, high reliability and retail electric prices that are 15 percent below the national average. With more than 500,000 shareholders, Southern Company common stock is one of the most widely held stocks in the United States.