Premium nutrition leader Arla Foods Ingredients is set to construct an electric heat pump facility in 2025 to cut its carbon emissions. The 32 million Euro facility, which will be established at its primary processing plant in Denmark, is Arla’s most significant single investment in net zero initiatives.
According to the company, the facility at its Danmark Protein site will be capable of converting 2.8MW of electricity into 8MW of heat. This is estimated to cut greenhouse gas emissions by around 14,500 tons of carbon dioxide equivalent a year. That would come up to a 22% reduction compared to 2023.
This will make a significant impact on Arla’s overall goal to cut 63% of carbon dioxide emissions gained from production by 2030. It also follows the company’s plans to achieve 100% renewable electricity across its European sites by the final tail of 2025.
“There’s growing demand for our products around the world but it’s essential that we grow sustainably,” said Paul van Rooji, vice president of supply chain. “Efficient electrification and a shift to renewables are central to Arla’s commitment to reducing reliance on fossil fuels.”
Arla: Investing in electrification technology
The electric heat pump facility is a product of Arla’s previous ventures in electrification technology. These include smaller heat pump investments, which will inform the design of the fully integrated system to capture energy from chilled water. The plant’s 90-degree-Celsius heat distribution network, responsible for supplying hot water for processes, will absorb the resulting heat from this system.
“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.”
Following its construction, the heat pump facility will act as a blueprint for future projects at various other Arla Foods Ingredients sites.
