Largest biomass boiler commissioned

The largest biomass boiler in the country, which uses by-product waste from the commercial forestry industry, has been commissioned at Danone’s dairy plant at Balclutha in South Otago. The $30 million boiler will reduce CO2 emissions by 20,000 tonnes per year at the company’s spray drying plant, which processes fresh milk sourced from 20 local farms into powder that is used as the base for production of baby formula brands including Aptamil and Karicare. Danone’s New Zealand operations director Steve Donnelly said the conversion to the biomass boiler had not been easy for the company, especially with the impacts of the Covid-19 pandemic. ‘‘It is symbolic of the action required for business to contribute in an impactful way in order to realise a lowemissions, climate resilient future for New Zealand.’’