Partner for pet food Hungaria (PPF), a European private label pet food manufacturer, has signed a 12-year Heat-as-a-Service (HaaS) contract with Brenmiller Energy. Under the contract, Brenmiller will supply PPF with low-cost, low-carbon steam and provide grid balancing services to the local transmission system operator (TSO) Mavir. PPF expects the total project cost to be approximately $5 million.
PPF produces more than 700,000 tonnes of animal feed annually, which is distributed from its 12 production sites to over 400 retailers in over 35 European countries. Brenmiller’s agreement with PPF will help the company achieve its emissions reduction targets of 42% by the end of 2030.
Brenmiller will design, build, own and operate a 30 MWh bGen ZERO system adjacent to PPF’s animal feed factory in Dombovar, Hungary. The bGen ZERO will take priority over PPF’s existing fossil fuel boilers, significantly reducing the animal feed manufacturer’s energy costs and carbon footprint. PPF will purchase steam from Brenmiller at a fixed price.
According to Brenmiller, the economics of this project are enabled by increasingly favourable regulatory and energy market conditions across Europe. In Hungary, transmission system operator Mavir recently awarded compensation to thermal storage facility owners under a new capacity market scheme designed to encourage flexibility. Brenmiller can also use the bGen to participate in Mavir’s balancing market and increase project revenues.
“Our company is committed to sustainability and Brenmiller’s turnkey bGen technology is an ideal way for us to prepare our production operations for the future,” said Gerald Kuehr, CEO of PPF. “As a leading European private label pet food company producing over 700,000 tonnes of pet food annually, we have an obligation to lead by example and drive the sustainability agenda in our industry. We are delighted to work with Brenmiller to achieve our greenhouse gas reduction targets.”
Animal feed industry well suited for thermal energy storage
According to the Renewable Thermal Collaborative, 97% of process heat in food and beverage processing is below 130°C. Brenmiller believes the industry is well-suited to using thermal energy storage for power-to-heat applications. It is in the food and beverage sector that the company sees the greatest demand for its products and services, which reach temperatures of up to 650°C.
“Our Heat-as-a-Service solution is a win-win for partners in pet food,” said Avi Brenmiller, Chairman and CEO of Brenmiller. “By providing access to heat while retaining our ownership of the system, we are helping our customer achieve both their sustainability and profitability goals and will be able to provide critical flexibility to the Hungarian power grid to support the deployment of more renewable energy.”
“This dual capability is critical to unlocking the business model for thermal energy storage in industrial applications,” Brenmiller continued. “We are pleased about our long-term agreement with Partner for pet food and are excited to gain a foothold in Hungary’s rapidly growing energy storage market.”
Accordingly The largest pet food companies in the pet food industry, Partner for pet foodis a European pet food manufacturer based in Hungary and supplies retailers, discounters, pet supply retailers and online specialists in over 35 countries. The company produces a comprehensive range of dry, wet and semi-moist cat and dog food, aluminum cups, pouches and snacks. It operates nine production facilities in four countries: the Netherlands, Hungary, Slovakia and the Czech Republic. In addition, the company has an additional sales office in Poland. The company produces almost 700,000 tons of pet food annually.
