Green refrigeration helps save both energy and water

Established in 2002, Tamara Fruit is one of Armenia’s largest companies producing a wide range of conventional juices, compotes, nectars, jams, etc. It is also the first enterprise in Armenia to produce deep-frozen fruit and vegetables, as well as organic food. In addition to domestic sales, the company’s products are exported to Russia, the USA, the UK, EU, Israel and UAE.

After 17 years, the company’s refrigeration system has become outdated and unreliable, thus leading to high energy costs. Therefore, the company’s management decided to replace the ammonia-based system with a modern, Freon gas-based model. Tamara Fruit approached its bank to look for a financial solution and took advantage of a technical assessment carried out by the GEFF team at no charge.

The investment of US$ 39,300 for a new R404A refrigerant-based centralised refrigeration machine will enable the company to save US$ 6,070 annually, as a result of annual savings of 84 MWh/year of electricity and 1,895 m3/year of water. In addition, space will be freed up for other purposes after the removal of the ammonia compressor equipment and the company will contribute to CO₂ savings of 37 tonnes per year. After the installation of the Freon-based equipment, the ammonia-based equipment will be dismantled and disposed of, thus eliminating any risk of leakage or injury to workers or nearby homes during potential accidents.

“For our business, we realised that investments in energy efficiency are more beneficial than they may seem at first glance, as they bring numerous positive effects in addition to savings,” says the Director of the company, Mr Boris Hovhannisyan.

This project was supported by the Green Climate Fund (GCF) and the Climate Investment Funds (CIF).