A major New Zealand company has made significant steps towards its sustainability goals.
New Zealand Sugar Company (Chelsea Sugar) has made strides towards achieving its carbon emissions goals by completing its Mechanical Vapour Recompression Evaporator (MVR) Project.
The MVR project, which has been fully operational for just six weeks, was co-funded through the Government Investment in Decarbonisation (GIDI) Fund and enabled Chelsea to recover and reuse energy generally lost through the evaporation process. The new method is 18 times more efficient than single-step evaporation.
In 2020, in partnership with EECA (Energy Efficiency and Conservation Authority), Chelsea undertook an Energy Transition Accelerator (ETA) study where the MVR Project was identified as a viable emission abatement solution.
“The results of our ETA study were pivotal in identifying areas where we could make significant strides in our emissions abatement and, in turn, allow the business to set ambitious emission reduction goals,” said Bernard Duignan, CEO of New Zealand Sugar Company.
Chelsea has been refining sugar at its site on the northern shore of Auckland's Waitemata Harbour since 1884. It is one of the first sugar refiners in the world to harness this technology in its production process.
“Chelsea has been integral to New Zealand’s food and beverage manufacturing sector for over a century. Producing around 205,000 tonnes of product yearly for domestic and export markets. We are very much business with our sights set on the next 100 years and continuing to improve sustainably and relevantly.”
Duignan explained that the MVR Evaporator represented a leap forward in the company’s sustainability goals. The innovation was approximated to reduce its greenhouse gas emissions by more than 30 percent by 2030, to be Net Zero Carbon by 2050.
Nicki Sutherland, General Manager of Business at EECA, stated that organisations like Chelsea Sugar, leading the way in efficient and low-emission energy use, are a powerful example to others.
“GIDI encourages innovation by supporting early adopters of clean and clever technologies demonstrating wide replication and emissions reduction potential,” shared Sutherland.
The general manager elaborated that starting early and planning the path was essential, with projects like Chelsea Sugar’s benefiting the climate and the business by reducing energy use and operational cost. This also allows the company to have authenticity in sustainability credentials and claims.
“What stood out for EECA is that Chelsea Sugar implemented the project within 18 months from GIDI approval and delivered the project as agreed on time and budget, despite the impacts of COVID. This will be a great boost to undertaking further decarbonisation projects.”
