Dairy giant Emmi has teamed up with Galliker Transport, PanGas and CKW to set up a renewable energy ecosystem in Dagmersellen, Switzerland.
The project will see the firms develop a wood-fired power plant designed to generate heat and renewable electricity, including green hydrogen, which will commence operations in 2027.
With an estimated investment of CHF 200 million (€202.6 million), the power plant project will help the participating companies to achieve their sustainability targets.
Marc Heim, head of Emmi Switzerland, added, "This unique energy ecosystem, designed in conjunction with three regionally based national partners, will pave the way to more sustainable production of our dairy products and reduce our dependence on fossil fuels.”
Renewable Energy Ecosystem
The energy ecosystem will comprise an upstream wood-fired power plant operated by CKW to produce heat and electricity.
Energy from the plant will help Emmi to meet some of its energy requirements at the Dagmersellen site, which produces mozzarella, ricotta and milk powder.
In addition, it will help the company cut CO2 emissions by 60% by 2027.
Emmi will also support closed-loop recycling by supplying demineralised water from the production of milk products to generate hydrogen, the company noted.
Elsewhere, PanGas will use some of the electricity to produce hydrogen to power Galliker’s fleet of trucks. The fuel will help Galliker Transport to achieve carbon neutrality on the road by 2050.
Currently, the company operates six hydrogen trucks on Swiss roads, and will continue to explore alternative solutions, focusing on hydrogen from local sources.
PanGas will also extract green CO2 from the combustion process for various uses, such as in the food industry.
"At PanGas, we have always been in the business of hydrogen. We are very pleased that this project will allow us to make a significant contribution to CO2 reduction and bring Switzerland a great deal closer to its decarbonisation target,” added Roger Britschgi, managing director of PanGas.
© 2022 European Supermarket Magazine – your source for the latest supply chain news. Article by Dayeeta Das. Click subscribe to sign up to ESM: European Supermarket Magazine.
