Danone Nouvelle-Zélande achève le passage à une chaudière à biomasse pour alimenter en énergie renouvelable l'usine de séchage par atomisation de l'ile du sud

• New Zealand’s first dairy spray drying plant powered exclusively by biomass fuel[1]
• Fueled by locally sourced sustainable forestry waste, the now fully commissioned biomass boiler will reduce CO2 emissions by 20,000 tonnes per year[2]

Danone today announced the commissioning of its biomass boiler at the company’s spray drying plant located at Balclutha, in the Otago region of New Zealand’s South Island. Combined with the use of 100% renewable electricity at the plant, CO2 emissions will be reduced by 95%, helping to underpin Danone’s global ambition to be a net-zero carbon company by 2050.[3]

Danone’s Balclutha spray drying plant processes fresh milk sourced from twenty local farms into powder that is used as the base for production of leading baby formula brands including 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 – with around 85% of the entire plant’s energy consumption coming from steam production. Unlike gas or the more common coal-powered fossil fuel boilers in New Zealand, Danone’s biomass boiler is powered by locally-sourced wood residues from sustainably-managed forests, supplying the plant with indigenous, renewable energy. The biomass project forms part of Danone’s landmark global Re-Fuel energy excellence program, with an ambition to transition to competitive, resilient, and renewable sources of energy.