DENVER – Gov. John Hickenlooper praised several Colorado industrial companies for trying to become more energy efficient.

Hickenlooper said Wednesday that companies that cut down on energy costs are putting more money into their budgets so they can expand.

The governor’s office says the industrial sector uses about 30 percent of the state’s total energy consumption.

Anheuser-Busch in Fort Collins and Western Sugar in Fort Morgan are among eight companies joining the Colorado Industrial Energy Challenge that calls for reducing energy intensity by at least 10 percent in five years. The eight companies spend between $1 million to $10 million on energy costs per year.

Five other companies were honored for already reducing costs as part of the challenge. The companies include Amgen in Boulder and Longmont and the Crested Butte Mountain Resort.