Valio’s new heat pump system in Seinäjoki factory promotes energy recycling
A new modern heat pump system was commissioned at the Seinäjoki production plant at the beginning of 2024, with the aim of achieving annual savings of around 12-14 per cent in heating at the plant. In about six months of operation, the new system has produced about 5800 MWh of heat. This is enough to heat the water for a five-minute shower for 2.8 million people in Finland.
The new heat pump system replaces the old system that had reached the end of its useful life. The aim of the renewal was to improve the energy efficiency of the production plant and save on energy costs. The system has a maximum thermal output of 2.8 MW and a heat recovery capacity of about 2.2 MW. The amount of the investment is several million euros, and the project has been granted Business Finland's energy support.
“The new heat pump system recovers heat from the cooling system of the milk evaporation process and from the condensing circuit of the factory’s refrigeration plant, reducing their electricity and water consumption. Four new heat pumps can reuse otherwise wasted energy flows. The heat pumps produce 80-degree water for the heating network, which is then distributed to more than 20 heating points or heat accumulators in the factory. This is energy recycling at its best,” says Valio’s Energy Specialist Jussi Jääskeläinen
The new heat pumps use ammonia as a refrigerant, which is also used in the Seinäjoki factory’s refrigeration plant. Ammonia has a GWP (Global Warming Potential) value of zero. It is therefore an environmentally friendly and natural refrigerant with good prospects for future use.
“The project is a good example of how electrification can improve energy efficiency,” Jääskeläinen adds.
The Seinäjoki factory produces, e.g., all Valio butters, Valio Oivariini® and Kevytlevi® spreads, quark, cottage cheese, Valio Profeel® quarks and puddings. In terms of products, the factory is one of Valio’s more diverse, and in terms of milk processing volume, it is one of the largest. The Valio producer laboratory operates in conjunction with the factory.
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Valio is a Finnish food company founded in 1905. Valio is owned by 3,400 Finnish dairy farmers through cooperatives. We pay out our operating profit to the dairy farms. The Valio brand is a promise of first-class quality and responsibility. Valio’s sales in 2023 were EUR 2,3 million.
We are Finland’s biggest food exporter and a trailblazer for the whole food industry. We export our consumer and industrial products to approximately 50 countries. We are an owner in Oddlygood, a company focusing on plant-based products. Our Valio Aimo® wholesale business serves hotels, restaurants and catering services, bakeries, and customers in the public sector and food industry all around Finland. Suomen Lantakaasu Oy, a joint venture we established with energy company St1, is boosting the circular economy by producing biogas from dairy farm manure. In all, we employ 4,200 people.
Our goal is to cut the carbon footprint of milk to zero by 2035. We are reducing emissions, growing carbon sinks and creating circular economy solutions. We are improving animal welfare, and we are working to increase biodiversity.
We bring taste experiences, variety and joy to the dining table and professional kitchens. At the same time, we are building wellbeing and making sure that we will have locally produced food also in the future. Innovativeness and drive for renewal have brought us at Valio together for over a hundred years − ever since Nobel laureate A.I. Virtanen headed Valio’s product development. Our mission is to make life better
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