Oilseed processing company MSM Milling has cut the ribbon on its new biomass boiler, which has begun powering its Manildra manufacturing plant in New South Wales.
Founded by two brothers in 1991, the company has grown to supply markets all around the world with its canola oil being used in biscuits, cereals, muesli bars and even Aussie KFC stores.
The opening marks the 18-month process of transitioning their facility from gas-fired boilers to a biomass system fuelled by timber waste from forestry operations in the local area.
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Previously, the plant had to deliver LPG to the facility via a truck as it is not connected to the gas grid, some 300km from Sydney.
To determine whether biogas would be a viable energy source for the plant, ARENA provided $2 million in funding towards the $5.4 million project.
Now up and running, it’s one of Australia’s first large-scale food manufacturers to use biomass for thermal energy.
The biomass system has been operating since the middle of January this year, and MSM Milling director Bob Mac Smith says it has reduced their thermal energy costs by about 70 per cent.
“… We are operating to within half a per cent of what we budgeted it would be in terms of the fuel we are using and costs,” Mr Mac Smith told ARENAWIRE in an interview ahead of the official opening.
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