Arla processes whey at Videbæk into a range of ingredient and protein products.
This investment is part of Arla’s strategy to electrify production and provide greater flexibility in energy consumption and enhanced reliability.
The investment has seen the completion of a new heating system at one of its towers, which will deliver annual savings of 2,500 tonnes of CO2, equivalent to the annual heating consumption of more than 900 households using natural gas.
As part of the project, the tower is being converted from operating with a gas heater to being able to switch between heat from the plant’s existing steam system and a new electric heater.
The Foods Ingredients division said this will reduce the use of natural gas and allow renewable electricity to take over part of the operation. Calculations show that the tower will be able to operate 100% on renewable electricity for 23% of the time.
“This is one of those investments where we simultaneously improve operational reliability, strengthen security of supply and reduce our climate impact. The fact that we can achieve such a large reduction through a single solution highlights the potential of electrifying our production,” said Mogens Bøgh Pedersen, Director of the Danmark Protein plant.
This new system allows Arla Foods Ingredients to use electricity when wind and solar power drive prices down, while reducing electricity consumption when supply and demand push prices higher.
A similar project is also being planned for another tower at the site where the gas heating system will also be replaced by a combined steam and electric heating solution. T
ogether, the investments in both towers will reduce CO2 emissions by up to 5,200 tonnes annually, equivalent to the annual heating consumption of more than 1,900 households, the company said.
“In addition to delivering substantial CO2e savings, this investment also represents a very strong business case. It is therefore a solution that we will naturally seek to scale across our other sites,” says Paul van Rooij, Vice President, Supply Chain, Arla Foods Ingredients.
