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Arla pioneers heat pump breakthrough to cut supply chain emissions
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Thursday, 16 October, 2025, 14 : 00 PM [IST]
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Denmark
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The European dairy cooperative Arla Foods has overcome one of the industry’s toughest electrification challenges by replacing natural gas with renewable energy at high temperatures.
For the first time, it has applied high-temperature electric heat pump technology at its milk powder site AKAFA in Svenstrup, Denmark. While the cooperative already uses heat pumps across several dairies, this is the first time the technology has been scaled to meet the more extreme requirements of spray drying. The breakthrough reduces annual emissions by more than 1,500 tonnes of CO2.
“This is a milestone in reducing emissions from our supply chain. Spray drying has long been one of the toughest processes to electrify, and by cracking that challenge we are taking a pioneering step towards more sustainable dairy,” said Line Brandt Pedersen, director supply chain sustainability, Arla Foods.
Spray drying used to create milk powder is one of the most energy-intensive processes in dairy production. Turning liquid milk into powder requires temperatures at a level where most electric heat pumps cannot deliver stable performance.
Unlike conventional electric heat pumps that use steam or water as a heating agent, the new heat pump at AKAFA uses CO2 for both heating and cooling. This enables efficient operation even at the high temperatures up to 120 degrees Celsius. Compared to previously, the new heat pump delivers an emissions reduction of more than 1,500 tonnes of CO2 per year.
“This achievement is the result of years of close collaboration with our technology partner before it was ready to be installed at full scale at AKAFA. And with the strong performance we are seeing, we will now be exploring the potential roll-out of the technology more broadly across our production. Electrification of our supply chain is undoubtedly a key part of reaching our target. It requires innovative technology, upskilling our employees and of course investments but as the heat pump at AKAFA shows, sustainability and performance can go hand in hand,” concluded Pedersen.
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