Emmi and Amstutz Holzenergie AG are expanding their cooperation in the area of renewable energy. Now solar energy is being used for the products manufactured at the Emmen site, as a supplement to the existing woodchip heating system. The source is 1,440 photovoltaic modules on the roofs of the Amstutz buildings, which produce about 500,000 kilowatt hours of electricity annually.
At the traditional site in Emmen, more than 80 % of the process energy required already comes from a woodchip plant. This was built in 2009 by Energie Wasser Luzern (EWL) on the premises of Amstutz Holzenergie AG (Amstutz) and feeds steam into Emmi’s pipelines. Now the proven partnership between wood heating pioneer Amstutz and Emmi has been extended.
Throughout the Group, Emmi already uses almost 100 % renewable electricity. Most of this electricity is purchased. For example, the 25 or so plants in Switzerland are supplied with 100 % electricity from European hydropower. Emmi’s strategy is to significantly increase the production of its own renewable electricity over the next few years. For this reason, Emmi has also decided to install photovoltaic elements on the roof of the new cheese dairy currently under construction at the Emmen site. These are expected to supply a further 230,000 kWh of renewable electricity from 2023.
