Swiss firm switch to green energy
A Swiss dairy company is set to source all of it power for renewable energy next year following the completion of multi-million euro plans to build an eco-friendly wood-chip steam plant.
Premium Swiss firm Emmi announced that their fruit and muesli yoghurt manufacturing operations in Emmen, Switzerland, will convert to green sustainable fuel from May 2009.
The company is working with partners to build a wood chip plant that will generate steam for Emmi’s dairy production.
Each year, Emmi uses some 32,000 tonnes of steam at its facility in Emmen during the manufacturing process. To date, the steam has been powered by heating oil.
The new eco-friendly steam plant will save the dairy company 1.6 million litres of heating oil annually.
The company has been working towards reaching the CO2 objectives agreed for 2012, which consist of reducing CO2 intensity to 79.18%. Emmi will exceed this goal set with the Federal Council, thanks in great part to the wood chip facility.
Construction on the new wood-chip plant began in December, and is set to cost 2.25 million euro (£1.95m).
The switch to the wood chip facility means a reduction in carbon dioxide emissions of some 4,700 tonnes per year.
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