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An Alliance Group $16 million programme to install heat pump systems at its Otago and Southland processing plants has won an award after cutting annual emissions by more than 24,000 tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent.
In a statement, Alliance operations director Wayne Shaw said the programme won the low carbon future category at the New Zealand Energy Excellence Awards in Wellington last month.
The four-year programme, delivered in conjunction with industrial heat pump specialist Active Refrigeration, reduced coal use with heat pumps at Alliance’s Lorneville, Mataura and Pukeuri sites, using waste heat and local water sources to produce hot water for processing.
The award recognised the scale and impact of the company’s investment in lower-emissions process heat, Mr Shaw said.
“This programme is cutting about 24,680 tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent each year by replacing ageing coal-fired boilers with highly efficient heat pump systems
“It is a major shift in how heat is supplied at large industrial processing sites and shows what can be achieved when industry invests in practical decarbonisation.
“We are proud the project has been recognised nationally. It demonstrates that large energy users can reduce emissions at scale while strengthening resilience and competitiveness.”
Alliance teams worked with Active Refrigeration on the design, delivery and commissioning of the integrated heat recovery and multi-stage heat pump projects.
The programme included new buildings at Mataura and Pukeuri to house the heat pumps, while the Lorneville heat pump was installed in the existing engine room.
Significant upgrades were also made to site pipework and potable water systems so the new heat pumps could be fully integrated into daily operations.
At Pukeuri and Mataura, water-sourced heat pumps using dam and river water add capacity beyond what can be captured from refrigeration waste heat alone.
This programme was made possible through co-funding provided by Energy Efficiency and Conservation Authority, under its Government Investment in Decarbonising Industry fund.
