Potomac Edison Provides Kite’s Maryland Manufacturing Facility with Incentive Payment for Company’s Sustainability Efforts
04-22-2022
Frederick County, MD
Kite, a global biopharmaceutical company, began construction on this state-of-the-art facility in 2019, and the site was recently approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to produce the company’s commercial chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T-cell therapy used to treat blood cancer. CAR T-cell therapy uses the power of a patient’s own immune system to target and attack their tumors.
The LEED Silver building was designed from the ground up with sustainability in mind. Early in the process, Kite’s architects partnered with the Potomac Edison’s Energy Solutions for Business team to analyze the building holistically—including process systems and strategic space utilization—to identify opportunities for high-efficiency equipment and practices.
“We are committed to not only reducing our energy, water, and waste footprint to zero, but also having an overall positive impact on the community,” said Alexis Melendez, Senior Director of Facilities and Engineering at Kite. “In addition to building the Maryland manufacturing site in a sustainable way, the facility’s energy efficiency practices will allow us to continue to minimize our environmental impact. We thank Potomac Edison for recognizing our sustainability efforts and look forward to working with them and other community partners as our site continues to grow.”
The 270,000 square-foot facility is estimated to save 2,453,541 kWh annually. Energy-efficient installations include a smart LED lighting system equipped with occupancy sensors and timer controls, and compressed air system that is used during cell therapy production. In addition, the site is carbon net zero for electricity and uses building-level water and energy metering to optimize usage.