Federal money helps McCain’s emissions reduction plan

MCCAIN Foods in Ballarat has received a multimillion-dollar Federal Government grant to step up its emissions reduction efforts.

Member for Ballarat Catherine King on Tuesday announced the company would receive $7.38 million from the Australian Renewable Energy Agency (ARENA) to trial cleaner, more efficient industrial processes.

It will use the money to install advanced heat recovery technology at its Wendouree potato plant, which is expected to cut steam and heat needs by more than 20 per cent.

McCain is one of three manufacturers to share in $12 million from ARENA, with another $180 million available for other regional industries.

Sugar Australia will replace gas-fired evaporators with an electric system at its Yarraville refinery, and Blackmores will install a high-efficiency heat pump at its Braeside factory to cut gas use by up to 25 per cent.

Ms King said as well as being a major employer in the region, McCain is also “a climate leader.”

“Over the last five years, they’ve installed an incredible array of 17,000 solar panels and invested in an anaerobic digester that generates energy from food waste,” she said.

“That has helped them reduce the energy they draw from the grid by 39 per cent, and their reliance on natural gas by 16 per cent.

“Now with the support of the Albanese Labor Government, McCain have done it again, investing in a heat recovery system that will reduce their steam and heat requirements.”

Ms King said the funding would help the business go even further in reducing costs and its climate impact.

Lyn Radford, McCain’s managing director for Australia and New Zealand, said manufacturing French fries generated a lot of heat, and the new technology would capture it and direct it back into the process.

Ms Radford said the heat recovery technology would be fully installed by the beginning of 2027.

“We’re generating a lot of heat from our friers,” she said. “What we’re trying to do is capture all of that heat…and send it back into powering the plant.”

Ms Radford said McCain was also planning to double the size of its solar farm, which already produces 8.2 megawatts of power.

McCain has a target of cutting emissions by 50 per cent by 2030.