Biomass fuel drives dairy plant in first for NZ

French food group Danone has flicked the switch on a new $30 million biomass boiler for its Balclutha dairy plant.

The company says it is New Zealand’s first dairy spray-drying plant powered exclusively by biomass fuel, which comes from locally sourced forestry waste.

Danone says the now fully commissioned biomass boiler will reduce its carbon dioxide emissions by 20,000 tonnes a year — equivalent to removing 10,000 petrol or diesel-powered cars from New Zealand’s roads.

Combined with the use of 100 per cent renewable electricity at the plant, CO2 emissions will be reduced by 95 per cent, helping to underpin Danone’s global pledge to be a net-zero carbon company by 2050, the company says.

The spray-drying plant processes fresh milk sourced from local farms into powder that is used in the production of Danone’s baby formula brands, which include Aptamil and Karicare.

Boilers play a central role in spray-drying — the process of converting milk into a dry powder through the application of heat. About 8 per cent of the entire plant’s energy consumption comes from steam production.

Unlike gas or the more common coal-powered fossil fuel boilers in New Zealand, Danone’s biomass boiler — built in Finland — is powered by locally-sourced wood residues from sustainablymanaged forests.

“This has not been a simple project for us . . . however, it is symbolic of the action required for business to contribute in an impactful way in order to realise a low-emissions, climate-resilient future for New Zealand,” Danone’s New Zealand operations director Steve Donnelly said.

In addition to reducing operational CO2 emissions in New Zealand, more than 90 per cent of product packaging materials used locally are fully recyclable.

They hope to achieve 100 per cent by 2025.

Donnelly told the NZ Herald there was no real financial return to Danone from the investment.

“This is all about sustainability and making sure that we live up to our responsibility as a company to reduce our carbon footprint in New Zealand.”