A Maori-owned company planning a milk processing operation near Taupo has bought a $35 million processing plant which will use geothermal energy.
Miraka Ltd bought the plant, which has the capacity to process over one million litres of milk daily, from German-based GEA Process Engineering.
The plant will include a milk reception area, evaporator, spray drying facility and powder storage bins, and is scheduled to open in August 2011.
The factory at Mokai, 30km northwest of Taupo, will use energy from the nearby Tuaropaki geothermal power station. The plant will recycle up to 60 gigajoules of waste heat a day.
GEA has also built similar capacity milk processing lines for Open Country Dairies in Waharoa and Wanganui in the North Island and Awarua in the South Island, and for Synlait at Dunsandel in the South Island.
Miraka is a joint venture between Wairarapa Moana Incorporation and Tuaropaki Ltd.