Fonterra's Waitoa manufacturing site has forged ahead with its sustainability goals as its new wood biomass boiler slashes coal usage by approximately 50 percent.
Waitoa's transition aligns with the Co-op's overarching plan to cut Scope 1 and 2 emissions by 50 percent by 2030, relative to a 2018 baseline. The introduction of the wood biomass boiler is poised to curtail the site's annual emissions by a significant 48,000 tonnes of CO₂ₑ, similar to removing 20,000 cars from New Zealand's roads.
Acting Chief Operating Officer Anna Palairet underscores Fonterra's dedication to embracing sustainable fuel alternatives to achieve net-zero emissions by 2050. This investment of approximately $90 million in the new boiler is projected to yield a 3 percent reduction in emissions, representing just one facet of Fonterra's broader decarbonisation efforts.
Palairet said various decarbonisation projects were underway across Fonterra's operations, including transitions to wood biomass at sites like Stirling, Hautapu, and FBNZ Palmerston North and earlier initiatives at Te Awamutu and Brightwater. Together, these projects are forecasted to slash CO2e emissions by 16 percent from the FY18 baseline, equivalent to removing 116,200 cars from New Zealand's roads annually.
Installing the wood biomass boiler at Waitoa is set to bolster the local wood biomass industry, with Wood Energy NZ supplying wood chips to fuel the boiler. Additionally, Waitoa is the launch site for Fonterra's pioneering electric milk tanker, Milk-E, which has collected over 5.5 million litres of milk and completed 1004 farm collections. This trial aligns with Fonterra's broader strategy to reduce transport emissions.
