CEMEX USA announced Thursday that the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) have awarded five of its U.S. cement manufacturing plants the 2011 ENERGY STAR award.

CEMEX USA’s plants in Demopolis, Clinchfield, Ga.; Louisville, Ky.; Miami, Fla. and New Braunfels, Texas received the awards in recognition of superior energy performance. 2011 marks the fifth consecutive year for the plants in Clinchfield, Ga., and Louisville, Ky to receive the award and the third consecutive year for the plant in Demopolis.

Over the last year, these plants have conducted process surveys, installed variable-frequency drives to replace damper control on fans, installed area power metering equipment to better analyze consumption, installed more efficient motors, and conducted energy audits to reduce unnecessary power usage.

All of the plants improved their energy performance using the ENERGY STAR guidelines for Energy Management developed by the EPA and DOE.

CEMEX USA is proud of our successful efforts in energy management and conservation and is honored to be recognized by the ENERGY STAR program,” said Karl Watson, Jr., President of CEMEX USA.

These awards are testament to our ongoing commitment to environmental stewardship and to the reduction of our carbon footprint.

The ENERGY STAR program is a joint initiative by the EPA and DOE that focuses on strategic energy management and emphasizes the importance of demonstrating environmental leadership for future generations.

CEMEX is a global building materials company that provides high quality products and reliable service to customers and communities in more than 50 countries throughout the world. Its U.S. network includes 13 cement plants, 46 strategically located distribution terminals, more than 100 aggregate quarries and more than 320 ready-mix concrete plants. CEMEX USA was named the EPA Energy Star Partner of the Year for 2009 and 2010. For more information, visit www.cemexusa.com.

– from staff reports