Biogas plant in milk processing

Comalat produces milk, sour cream, cheese and yoghurt products according traditional Romanian recipes. Operating from the village of Nanov in Teleorman County, the company processes milk from a large number of small local herds.

Availability of whey and dry biomass – waste products from diary processes – represented the company with an opportunity to consider on-site renewable energy generation and partial replacement of its light fuel oil consumption.

The company addressed EEFF for advisory services and affordable financing for the potential project. The EEFF team assessed the possible investment measures, in particular their potential for energy savings, profitability, and risks and environmental aspects.

The final project was the installation of a  biogas plant, an absorption chiller and a heat recovery unit.

The investment of €257,900 allowed the company to decrease its energy consumption by 884 MWh per year (27%), which translated into substantial cost savings each year. The investment will be repaid from energy savings very fast. In addition, the company has become more energy independent and its greenhouse gas emissions were decreased by 165 tonnes per year (57%). Finally, the investment helped to reduce waste and hence the costs of waste removal.

This project demonstrates that there may be creative and highly profitable renewable energy solutions for different companies and sectors, leading to enhanced financial standing and energy independence.

This project was supported by the European Union (EU).