Energy Optimization in Energy-Intensive Industries with a Focus on Engineering Economics: A Case Study of Productivity in International Companies

This article, adopting an engineering economics approach, examines energy-saving strategies in energy-intensive industries and analyzes the challenges of gas imbalance in international companies and the local context of Iran. The case study of four leading companies (Simplot, General Motors, General Mills, and Intel), along with a comparative review in Iran's steel industry, demonstrated that a combination of multilateral collaboration (government, private sector, and energy institutions), targeted investment in optimization technologies, development of specialized human resources, and numerical optimization models (such as linear programming and metaheuristic algorithms) plays a key role in reducing energy intensity by up to 30% and operational costs. For example, Simplot achieved an 18% reduction in energy intensity in food processes by employing Design of Experiments (DOE) and participating in the ENERGY STAR program, while General Motors recorded an 11% reduction in operational costs through production line optimization. The main challenge in gas imbalance is adapting energy efficiency strategies with emerging technologies (such as electric vehicles and green hydrogen) and integrating computational models into local processes like direct reduced iron (DRI) in Iran, which provides the potential to reduce dependence on natural gas by 20-30%. The findings indicate that these measures not only yield short-term financial returns (with an internal rate of return of 15%) but also contribute to sustainable industrial development through reducing carbon footprint, enhancing energy security, and applying global-local hybrid models. The results emphasize the necessity of transforming successful experiences into integrated industrial standards and incorporating them into HSE systems for efficient management of gas imbalance.