“Frew Foods worked closely with Northmore Gordon on the biomassBiomass is plant or animal material used to produce electricity or heat. Examples include forestry by-products, crop waste, animal waste and food processing waste. Biomass is considered a renewable energy fuel if it comes from a sustainably managed source. boiler project to measure and verify carbon savings. We successfully created 10,183 VEEC’s in Sep ‘21… Northmore Gordon showed they understood what we were trying to achieve… the project was delivered through COVID-19 which for our business was a challenge. The work done by Northmore Gordon to support my abattoir was professional and Alan was a pleasure to work with over the project. Thank You Sincerely.”
– Robert Frew, Owner & Managing Director at Frew Foods International Pty Ltd
The Client
Frew Foods International is a large wholesaler of quality lamb and sheep meat products to the major supermarkets and butchers across Australia.As a halal and tier 2 accredited processor, Frew Foods exports to over 100 countries across all major continents including Europe, North America, South America, the Middle East, Africa and Asia. Their modernised abattoir in Stawell, Victoria employs over 500 people and has the capacity to process over 6000 lambs and sheep a day.
Key Facts
• Equipment Upgraded – Installation of 3MW biomass boiler and 90,000 litre heat storage tank
• Annual Energy SavingsElectricity or gas savings or both. – 21,160 GJA gigajoule (GJ) is the equivalent to 1 billion joules. A joule is a measure of the energy required to send an electrical current of one ampere through a resistance of one ohm for one second. One GJ is equal to 277.8 kilowatt hours ( kWh), 1.055 million British thermal units (Btu) or 0.17 barrels of oil. Gas
• Certificate Value – $800,000
• Program – Victorian Energy Upgrades (VEUVictorian Energy Upgrades is a Victorian government energy efficiency program that gives every Victorian household and business the opportunity to receive rebates or discounts on energy saving products.)
• Method – Project Based Activities (PBAProject Based Activities)
The Project
The site’s Energy Conservation Measure (ECMEnergy conservation measure) upgraded its boiler system to replace the natural gas fired boilers from the existing boiler room with a biomass boiler in the biomass shed. The biomass boiler is fueled with locally sourced sawdust. The replacement included the installation of a 3 MW thermal biomass boiler with associated pipework, fittings and additional gantry, connection to the existing hot water circuit, and isolation of the existing natural gas boilers.
Challenges
• M&V modelling challenges imposed by COVID restrictions
• Logistic issues with product fuel delivery due to COVID
• Drastic gas price variations
Outcomes
• More hot water capability with lower carbon emissions
• Less affected by natural gas price variations
Our Role
Northmore Gordon provided an end to end service to ensure the project complied with the Victorian Energy Upgrade Program to maximise the financial incentives. Northmore Gordon’s Certified Measurement & Verification Professionals (CMVPs) created the M&V plan, collected site data and supporting evidence, built the baseline and operating energy models to calculate the energy savings. Subsequently we wrote the M&V report, and then created and traded VEECs on the clients behalf.
For more information contact: c.morgan@northmoregordon.com
