The €32million project is Arla’s largest single investment in net-zero initiatives to date and is scheduled to go live in 2025.
The heat pump facility at the Danmark Protein site will be able to convert 2.8MW of electricity into 8MW of heat. Such a shift will cut the greenhouse gas emissions associated with the site by approximately 14,500 tonnes of CO2 equivalent per year, which translates to a 22% reduction compared with 2023 levels.
Arla hopes to reduce CO2 emissions from production by 63% by 2030, in addition to powering all of its European sites with renewable electricity by the end of 2025.
The investment is the culmination of many years of planning by Arla Foods Ingredients. The firm has learned lessons from smaller heat pump investments which is has used to inform the design of the fully integrated system, which will capture energy from chilled water.
The resulting heat will be fed into the plant’s 90C heat distribution network, which supplies hot water for processes such as spray-drying to create powdered whey ingredients.
Arla Foods Ingredients is a 100% owned subsidiary of Arla Foods and the project will serve as the blueprint for similar initiatives at other sites.
Commenting on the announcement, Arla Foods Ingredients vice president for supply chain Paul van Rooij said: “There’s growing demand for our products around the world but it’s essential that we grow sustainably. Efficient electrification and a shift to renewables are central to Arla’s commitment to reducing reliance on fossil fuels.
“This innovative heat pump technology will allow us to split our energy system, so that we can supply more sustainably generated heat to lower temperature users while channelling efforts into developing better solutions for our few high-temperature needs. It’s another important milestone on our carbon reduction journey.”
In other news, Yorkshire beer maker Black Sheep Brewery has undergone a “major rebrand” as it looks to begin the “next chapter” in its history.
