Latest news with #ClimateChangeandEnergy
Sky News AU
26-05-2025
- Politics
- Sky News AU
Priest lashes Chris Bowen for eating gnocchi during mass service
Sky News host Andrew Bolt discusses Climate Change and Energy Minister Chris Bowen 'chowing down' on gnocchi during an Italian mass. 'Something bizarre, Climate Change and Energy Minister Chris Bowen went to an Italian pasta festival, bought some gnocchi and ate it during the mass held there,' Mr Bolt said. 'The priest was so offended he told worshippers, in Italian, this eating is rude and they should respect the mass, Bowen, who does not speak Italian says he did not realise he was sitting in a mass as he chowed down.'
Otago Daily Times
20-05-2025
- Business
- Otago Daily Times
Boiler step towards lower emissions
Fonterra staff unveiled the first of its fossil fuel-free boilers recently and announced the co-op will invest $70 million in two more at its Edendale site, in another step towards its goal of halving its carbon emissions by 2030. The major milestone was marked with the official ribbon-cutting of a new electrode boiler at its Southland milk powder plant, replacing one of the site's five coal-fired burners. The ceremony, attended by Minister of Climate Change and Energy Simon Watts, Invercargill MP Penny Simmonds, representatives from the Hokonui and Waihopai Runanga, Environment Southland and two southern mayors, celebrated what Fonterra described as a key step in its "decarbonisation journey". Fonterra chief operating officer Anna Palairet announced the construction of two more electricity-powered boilers would begin shortly and were expected to be operational by August 2027. The new and incoming boilers would help the company achieve a 50.4% reduction of carbon emissions by 2030. General manager of operations for the lower South Island Andrew Johns said the upcoming $70m project would engage more than 400 local and national contractors. The newly installed boiler was designed by a team of engineers in Napier, made in China and then put together and constructed by New Zealand-based personnel. The company tried to hire Southland workers when possible, but the infrastructure or ability to build this new kind of asset in New Zealand was still growing, Mr Johns said. Addressing the crowd, Mr Watts said growing the economy was "interconnected" with meeting emissions targets. Businesses in the private sector such as Fonterra were leading the innovation charge and sometimes it was best for the government to get out of the way of business and industry. The government was doing anything it could to remove the "red or green tape" to create less friction in the system, he said. It wanted to partner with industry and Fonterra's farmers across the country as they were the "backbone of our economy". During the tour, spectators saw the beginnings of the construction site of the plant's UHT milk plant which will be completed next year. Mr Johns said the thermal heat generated from the five existing boilers, and the two more to come, could be distributed to any of the factories on site — "whether it's making cream products or powders or proteins". Fonterra's Edendale plant is New Zealand's oldest dairy processing site, established in 1881.
Otago Daily Times
13-05-2025
- Business
- Otago Daily Times
Boiler step toward lower emissions
Fonterra staff unveiled the first of its fossil fuel-free boilers last Wednesday and announced the co-op will invest $70 million in two more at its Edendale site, in another step towards its goal of halving its carbon emissions by 2030. The major milestone was marked last Wednesday with the official ribbon-cutting of a new electrode boiler at its Southland milk powder plant, replacing one of the site's five coal-fired burners. The ceremony, attended by Minister of Climate Change and Energy Simon Watts, Invercargill MP Penny Simmonds, representatives from the Hokonui and Waihopai Runanga, Environment Southland and two southern mayors, celebrated what Fonterra described as a key step in its "decarbonisation journey". Fonterra chief operating officer Anna Palairet announced the construction of two more electricity-powered boilers would begin shortly and were expected to be operational by August 2027. The new and incoming boilers would help the company achieve a 50.4% reduction of carbon emissions by 2030. General manager of operations for the lower South Island Andrew Johns said the upcoming $70m project would engage more than 400 local and national contractors. The newly installed boiler was designed by a team of engineers in Napier, made in China and then put together and constructed by New Zealand-based personnel. The company endeavoured to hire Southland workers when possible, but the infrastructure or ability to build this new kind of asset in New Zealand was still growing, Mr Johns said. Addressing the crowd, Mr Watts said growing the economy was "interconnected" with meeting emissions targets. Businesses in the private sector such as Fonterra were leading the innovation charge and sometimes it was best for the government to get out of the way of business and industry. The government was doing anything it could to remove the "red or green tape" to create less friction in the system, he said. It to partner with industry and Fonterra's farmers across the country as they were the "backbone of our economy". During the tour, spectators saw the beginnings of the construction site of the plant's UHT milk plant which will be completed next year. Mr Johns said the thermal heat generated from the five existing boilers, and the two more to come, could be distributed to any of the factories on site — "whether it's making cream products or powders or proteins". Fonterra's Edendale plant is New Zealand's oldest dairy processing site, established in 1881.
Otago Daily Times
07-05-2025
- Business
- Otago Daily Times
New boiler step towards lowered emissions
Fonterra staff unveiled the first of its fossil-fuel-free boilers yesterday and announced the co-op will invest $70 million in two more at its Edendale site, in another step towards its goal of halving its carbon emissions by 2030. The major milestone was marked yesterday with the official ribbon-cutting of a new electrode boiler at its Southland milk powder plant, replacing one of the site's five coal-fired burners. The ceremony, attended by Minister of Climate Change and Energy Simon Watts, Invercargill MP Penny Simmonds, representatives from the Hokonui and Waihopai Rūnanga, Environment Southland and two Southern mayors, celebrated what Fonterra described as a key step in its ''decarbonisation journey''. Fonterra chief operating officer Anna Palairet announced construction of two more electricity-powered boilers will begin shortly and are expected to be operational by August 2027. She said the new and incoming boilers will help the company achieve a 50.4% reduction of carbon emissions by 2030. General manager of operations for the lower South Island Andrew Johns said the upcoming $70m project would engage more than 400 local and national contractors. The newly installed boiler was designed by a team of engineers in Napier, made in China and then put together and constructed by New Zealand-based personnel, Mr Johns said. He said the company endeavoured to hire Southland workers when possible, but the infrastructure or ability to build this new kind of asset in New Zealand was still growing. Addressing the crowd, Mr Watts said growing the economy was ''interconnected'' with meeting emissions targets. He said businesses in the private sector such as Fonterra were leading the innovation charge and sometimes it was best for the government to get out of the way of business and industry. The government was doing anything it could to remove the ''red or green tape'' to create less friction in the system, he said. He said the government wanted to partner with industry and Fonterra's farmers across the country as they were the ''backbone of our economy''. During the tour, spectators saw the beginnings of the construction site of the plant's UHT milk plant which will be completed in 2026. Mr Johns said the thermal heat generated from the five existing boilers, and the two more to come, could be distributed to any of the factories on site — ''whether it's making cream products or powders or proteins'', he said. Fonterra's Edendale plant is New Zealand's oldest dairy processing site, established in 1881.
Scoop
07-05-2025
- Business
- Scoop
Fonterra Announces Next Steps In Move Out Of Coal
As Fonterra officially opened the first electrode boiler at its Edendale site today, it announced further plans to progress decarbonisation at its Southern most site. The Co-operative will invest a further $70 million in two new electrode boilers as it moves away from using coal while securing renewable energy solutions to future-proof its sites. Minister for Climate Change and Energy, Simon Watts, who officially opened the existing plant alongside Fonterra Chief Operating Officer Anna Palairet, congratulated Fonterra on these next steps. 'The private sector has a leading role to play in increasing clean energy and meeting New Zealand's emissions targets. I am thrilled to see Fonterra building their renewable energy capacity and getting one step closer to meeting their decarbonisation goals.' The two new electrode boilers will replace two existing coal-fired boilers, providing renewable energy to support milk processing and future growth at the site including additional power and steam heat capacity for the new UHT plant currently being built. Fonterra's Anna Palairet says the investment is a key step in strengthening operations at Edendale. "Investing in renewable energy solutions, such as electrode boilers, will help ensure we can continue to process milk efficiently both now and in the future. Securing a reliable energy supply is critical to the resilience of our operations, and this investment will help future-proof Edendale for years to come." The investment also supports Fonterra's broader decarbonisation and emissions reduction targets*. Once the two new electrode boilers are complete, it is expected emissions at the site will be reduced by approximately 72,800 tonnes of CO2e annually, the equivalent of removing over 30,000 cars from New Zealand roads. This is forecast to result in an approximate 4%reduction** towards Fonterra's overall 2030 Scope 1 and 2 GHG emissions reduction target. General Manager Operations – Lower South Island, Andrew Johns says it's an exciting time for the site, with major investments shaping Edendale's future. 'With the new UHT plant coming online in 2026, the recently installed electrode boiler and now two more electrode boilers on the way, there's a real sense of progress here at Edendale. 'The investment is also great news for the local economy. Where possible we will be engaging with local contractors, and we expect over 400 people from Southland and wider New Zealand to be part of the team on site delivering this investment.' The investment is co-funded as part of a previously announced Energy Efficiency and Conservation Authority (EECA) partnership. EECA Chief Executive, Dr Marcos Pelenur, believes that 'the project is a positive step toward enhancing productivity, building resilient infrastructure, and ensuring long-term operational sustainability. This project supports greater energy security while laying the foundation for future growth and adaptability.' Construction is set to commence shortly, with the new boilers expected to be operational by August 2027. *The Co-operative's target is 50.4% absolute reduction of Scope 1 & 2 GHG emissions by 2030 from a 2018 baseline. ** From a 2018 baseline. Further details on the Co-op's progress to reduce manufacturing emissions: Coal free in manufacturing operations in the North Island (November 2024): With the turning off of the Co-op's Waitoa site's last coal boiler, the Co-op announced it was no longer using coal in the North Island. Work continues to transition the five sites in the South Island that still use coal. Edendale electrode boiler (October 2024): The Co-op's first electrode boiler generates steam from electricity and cuts the site's annual overall emissions by around 37,500 tonnes – the equivalent of removing around 15,600 cars from New Zealand roads. Hautapu boiler conversion (August 2024): Conversion from coal to wood pellets, with an expected annual emissions reduction of around 12,000 tonnes – the equivalent of removing around 6,500 cars from New Zealand roads. Clandeboye heat recovery project (February 2024):The new heat recovery system in the Lactose plant aims to decrease annual carbon emissions by around 3,000 tonnes – the equivalent of removing around 1,250 cars from New Zealand roads. Waitoa wood biomass boiler (October 2024): The new boiler at Waitoa has halved coal usage at the site, cutting emissions by around 46,000 tonnes annually – the equivalent of removing around 20,000 cars from New Zealand roads. Whareroa heat pumps (September 2023): Installation of New Zealand's largest heat pumps as part of a refrigeration upgrade, decreasing annual carbon emissions by around 9,100 tonnes – the equivalent of removing around 3,800 cars from New Zealand roads. Stirling biomass boiler (August 2023): Stirling's wood biomass boiler has reduced annual carbon emissions by around 18,500 tonnes – the equivalent of removing around 7,700 cars from New Zealand roads – and is the Co-op's first site running on 100% renewable thermal energy. Te Awamutu boiler conversion (August 2020): Converted the coal boiler to use wood pellets, removing coal use and emissions by around 84,000 tonnes – the equivalent of removing around 35,000 cars from New Zealand roads. Brightwater biomass co-firing (September 2018): Moved to co-firing wood biomass, reducing overall annual site carbon emissions by around 2,400 tonnes – the equivalent of removing around 530 cars from New Zealand roads.
