Spotlight on energy projects

EECA follows and shares the progress of clean and clever energy projects around New Zealand, particularly if we have contributed co-funding to the project. 

A transition to sustainable fuel

Fonterra will start work to convert two coal boilers to wood pellets at its Clandeboye site in South Canterbury. The project should cut the Co-operative’s overall emissions by 9% or about 155,000 t CO2e each year.

The project marks a significant milestone in the Co-operative's sustainability journey as it works towards a 50.4% reduction in absolute Scope 1 and 2 emissions by 2030, from a 2018 baseline. 

The conversion of the two boilers is scheduled to be completed and operational by September 2025. Plans to transition the remaining boilers onto renewable energy will continue as part of Fonterra’s wider decarbonisation plans.

The site has recently completed another decarbonisation project with the installation of a heat recovery project in its lactose plant back in February 2024.

The new system allows the recovery of high-grade heat from the lactose plant's equipment, saving the site 2.5 t of steam per hour and decreasing annual carbon emissions by around 3,000 t.

The conversion is co-funded as part of a previously announced partnership with EECA. The partnership agreement includes Fonterra achieving approximately 1.2 million t of CO2 cumulative reductions from its coal reduction activities this decade, enabling Fonterra to lift its 2030 target from a 30% to a 50% absolute reduction by 2030.

Clean alternatives to fossil-fuelled heat plants

If your organisation is interested in transitioning to clean energy, check out our insights on clean alternatives to fossil fuelled heat plants.

Clean alternatives to fossil-fuelled heat plants

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