Danone Plans $27M Upgrade at Spray Drying Plant

Global food firm Danone plans to invest NZ$40 million (about $27 million) to install a new biomass boiler at its Nutricia spray drying plant in Balclutha, NZ that will help the site to achieve 100% carbon neutrality, the company announced in a release Tuesday.

The facility uses boilers to create heat during the processing of liquid milk into milk powder. Using wood fuel, the new equipment will create steam to cover about 85% of the plant’s energy consumption needs. Biomass will be sourced locally, according to Danone. 

“We share the New Zealand government’s ambitions in delivering a low-emissions, climate resilient future,” Cyril Marniquet, New Zealand operations director at Danone, said in a statement. “At Danone, we’ve set ourselves an objective of becoming a carbon neutral company across our entire scope – from farm to family – by 2050. It is through key investments like this one that we take a step forward towards reaching this ambition.”

Danone selected Veolia to design and manage construction of the new biomass boiler. The upgrade of the site also includes a new water treatment plant. 

The facility in Balclutha was acquired by Danone in 2014. Several Infant Milk Formula (IMF) brands are produced at the plant, including Aptamil and Karicare. 

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