Irish dairy cooperative Aurivo Co-operative Society has announced a €12 million investment in a wood pellet burner and boiler system at its Dairy Ingredients facility in Ballaghaderreen, Co Roscommon in Ireland.
The project, co-funded through the Shared Island Sustainability Capital Grant scheme delivered by Enterprise Ireland, InterTradeIreland and Invest Northern Ireland, will replace a large proportion of the fossil fuel currently consumed at the site with renewable biomass energy.
Aurivo said the system is expected to reduce carbon emissions by approximately 7,500 tonnes of CO₂ annually. The boiler will be fuelled by locally supplied, sustainably certified wood pellets.
The cooperative said the move would also provide greater energy cost certainty by reducing its exposure to global fossil fuel price volatility.
Donal Tierney, CEO of Aurivo Co-operative Society, said the investment represented "a transformative step" in reducing the facility's carbon footprint while strengthening the long-term resilience of its operations. "By significantly increasing our use of renewable biomass and reducing reliance on imported fossil fuels, we are taking decisive action that will deliver measurable emissions reductions while providing greater certainty around our future energy costs," he said.
Minister of State for Small Business, Retail and Employment Alan Dillon TD said the announcement demonstrated "what can be achieved when industry and State partners work together with ambition."
The project is also expected to support local employment across construction, engineering and supply chain roles during installation.
Aurivo invests €12m in biomass boiler system at dairy ingredients facility
