As part of its goal to reach net zero emissions at its manufacturing sites by 2050, Fonterra is replacing a coal burner at its Waitoa factory with a wood biomass burner.
Work will begin on the boiler installation later this year and it is expected to be fully operational by November of next year.
Fonterra is the second biggest user of coal in the country. Last year, the co-operative agreed to phase out coal use by 2037. The new boiler will reduce the site’s annual carbon emissions by around 48,000 tonnes, which is the equivalent of taking 20,000 cars off the road. However, the factory will continue to operate two coal boilers, which will be replaced in the future.
A spokesperson from Fonterra said that switching its boilers to electricity was out of the question because the operational and capital costs were too high and Transpower would have to upgrade its capacity to meet demand. Instead, a switch to wood biomass boilers was the preferred option.
Image credit: APN
