Arla is installing a new heat recovery system at its Jönköping dairy, aiming to reduce both carbon dioxide emissions and energy costs.

Continuing its commitment to minimizing its climate impact, Arla is implementing this innovative system to capture and reuse excess heat from the plant’s cooling towers. This initiative is expected to cut the dairy’s carbon dioxide emissions by approximately 214 tons annually.

– Two years ago, we launched a new bioenergy plant at the dairy, and now we’re taking another step in our sustainability journey. It’s crucial that both dairy farmers and consumers trust that we’re handling the milk responsibly, says Martin Drobena, dairy manager at Arla Jönköping.

Arla Jönköping operates entirely fossil-free, using renewable electricity and energy. The facility, which employs 400 people and processes 200 million kilograms of milk annually, produces milk, yogurt, and cream. It is also a strategically important site for producing extended shelf-life (ESL) milk.

ESL milk is sterilized by heating it to around 150°C and then rapidly cooling it. Previously, excess heat from the cooling process was released into the environment, wasting approximately 9,300 megawatt-hours of energy. Now, most of this heat will be repurposed to power the dairy’s heating system.

A study by the engineering firm Andersson & Hultmark AB found that the excess heat from the cooling tower could replace 63 percent of the energy previously purchased to heat the facility, leading to annual savings of nearly two million SEK.

Read the full press release HERE