ABB has once again raised the bar for energy efficiency by setting a new world record with a large synchronous electric motor, specially engineered for a steel plant in India.
The motor achieved an unprecedented 99.13% energy efficiency, making it the most efficient of its kind ever built. This breakthrough comes under ABB’s Top Industrial Efficiency (TIE) initiative, which focuses on delivering solutions that outperform global performance standards.
Saving Energy, Reducing Costs
By choosing a TIE-optimized motor instead of a standard design (which typically operates at 98.64% efficiency), the steel plant will save an estimated 61 GWh of electricity over 25 years.
This translates into about $5.9 million in reduced electricity costs. Additionally, the motor will help avoid 45,000 tons of CO₂ emissions, equivalent to removing 10,000 cars from the road for a year.
The projected payback period for the motor’s added efficiency is just over three months, making it not only an environmentally responsible investment, but a highly economical one.
How the Motor Will Be Used
The high-efficiency motor will be used to operate an Air Separation Unit (ASU) at the steel plant. This unit liquefies atmospheric air to extract pure oxygen and nitrogen—essential gases for steelmaking processes. Despite its specialized use, the principles behind the motor’s design can be applied broadly to many industrial applications.
Exceeding Industry Standards
This achievement breaks ABB’s own 2017 record of 99.05% efficiency. While 100% efficiency remains theoretically impossible due to physical constraints, approaching this level requires advanced engineering and precision manufacturing. This is why achieving 99.13% is a monumental step in industrial motor design.
Most large synchronous motors typically operate between 98.2% and 98.5% efficiency, making ABB’s new benchmark a technological leap forward.
Industry Perspective
Brandon Spencer, President of ABB Motion, emphasized the significance of this advancement:“This project demonstrates how ABB’s Top Industrial Efficiency initiative delivers motors and generators with the highest possible energy efficiency. It’s about helping customers reduce operational costs and carbon footprints simultaneously—maximizing profitability and sustainability.”
The Top Industrial Efficiency (TIE) initiative also targets a known gap in global standards for motors larger than 3 MW, which—though relatively few in number—consume approximately 25% of all motion-related energy worldwide.
ABB: Driving Sustainable Industrial Performance
ABB continues to lead in electrification and automation, promoting a future that’s more sustainable and resource-efficient. By combining digital technologies with engineering innovation, ABB empowers industries to run more efficiently, cleanly, and productively.
With over 140 years of experience, and more than 110,000 employees globally, ABB is recognized as a pillar of industrial transformation.
The ABB Motion division plays a pivotal role in supporting industrial decarbonization and energy optimization through its portfolio of digitally enabled motors, drives, and services
. With over 23,000 employees in 100 countries, ABB Motion ensures that industries across all segments continue to “Outrun – leaner and cleaner.”
