New Zealand dairy co-operative Fonterra has turned on an electrode boiler at its Edendale plant and commissioned two more. This will help reduce CO2 equivalent (CO2e) emissions by 72,800 t/yr from 2027.
The co-operative's three boilers will replace coal-fired systems and be powered by renewable energy generated at Edendale, it said on 7 May. Emissions reductions from the plant will account for 4pc of Fonterra's target of a 50.4pc reduction in scope 1 and scope 2 emissions relative to 2018 levels by 2030.
The co-operative has committed NZ$70mn ($41.3mn) to build the Edendale boilers, with additional co-funding from New Zealand's Energy Efficiency and Conservation Authority (EECA).
Fonterra's on-farm emissions are excluded from New Zealand's emissions trading system, but its coal boilers fall under the scheme.
The co-operative has been moving away from coal boilers since 2018, reducing its CO2e emissions by 200,400 t/yr through six conversions.
Fonterra has converted coal boilers into wood-fired and electrode boilers in collaboration with EECA. Its 2020 Te Awamutu coal-to-biomass boiler conversion led to a 98.4pc decline in CO2e emissions, from 90,395 t/yr to 1,425 t/yr, according to an EECA study.
Fonterra was looking for 80,000-100,000t of Vietnamese wood pellets on a one-year contract starting in mid-2025 as it moves away from fossil fuels to renewables, market participants told Argus in December 2024.
