Amul adopts green tech for its chocolate plant

VADODARA/ANAND: Amul chocolates will be manufactured with green technology. The Kaira District Co-operative Milk Producers Union Limited (KDCMPUL) popularly known as Amul Dairy has adopted low carbon technology at the Amul chocolate plant at Mogar in Anand district.

The technology commissioned by the dairy co-operative is first of its kind in Gujarat. The district dairy union's initiative comes after its green initiatives involving lakhs of farmers to plant over 312 lakh saplings to make Green Gujarat and its green project at Virar in Maharashtra - the first of its kind in country's dairy sector.

The Electric Heat Pump (EHP) system installed at Amul's Mogar Food Complex was commissioned on Monday.

This project is being executed by Amul, The Energy and Resources Institute (TERI), New Delhi, the Institute of Global Environment Strategies (IGES), Japan and the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA).

EHP system was installed by engineers from Mayekawa Manufacturing Company Limited, Japan under a four year research project - 'Application of Low Carbon Technology' being undertaken by TERI, New Delhi jointly with IGES, Japan.

The goal of this project is to promote energy efficiency and environment friendly technologies in Indian small and medium enterprises.

The pilot project, introduced for the first time in India, will result into energy saving of around 47 percent and reduction in CO2 emission by 39 percent which corresponds to the monetary savings to the tune of Rs 20 lakh per annum besides reducing reliance on fossil fuels.

"This initiative by TERI and IGES for implementation of low carbon technologies, especially in developing countries like India is appreciable. We hope that application of such technologies will be replicated by the processing industry in general and dairy industry in particular to reduce energy consumption and CO2 emissions," Amul Dairy's managing director Rahul Kumar said, lauding the role of the team engaged in the successful commissioning of the system.

The total project cost is to the tune of Rs 1.5 crore.

"This pilot plant at our Food Complex will also act as a demonstration site for other dairy units and milk plants in India, who are interested in knowing more about this green technology," said Kumar.

Source: http://tinyurl.com/lsdfx7k