From energy audit to 40% CO2 emission reduction – modernization at Soufflet Polska
We implemented an investment at the Soufflet malt house: heat recovery, cogeneration, and a new cooling source. Result: 40% CO2 emission reduction, 42 GWh energy savings, and an ESCO-model investment worth 29 million PLN.
The challenge
Soufflet Polska, one of the leaders in the brewing sector, faced the need to reduce CO2 emissions and improve energy efficiency at a plant already considered one of the best managed within the group. The most difficult task was finding a solution that would allow significant emission reduction and energy savings while maintaining high product quality and without straining the company's investment budget.
The biggest challenge was creating a project that maximized the energy effect and reduced emissions while achieving Soufflet’s strategic goals. We reached the target thanks to the long-standing experience of our engineering team, collaboration with the client at their plant, and the use of modern technologies provided by reputable suppliers.
For the client, the most difficult part was trusting an external company to engage deeply enough in the project to understand the technological process thoroughly, grasp all the nuances and the client’s perspective, and optimize the operation of a plant that for nearly 20 years has been one of the most efficient in the portfolio of the global group.
Our approach
We started collaboration with Soufflet Polska by conducting the mandatory company energy audit. Based on this, we identified key areas for modernization.
As the General Contractor, we designed and implemented the investment in an ESCO model, financing the project and assuming technological risk. This allowed Soufflet Polska to benefit from energy and financial effects without using their own funds.
Solution
Enterprise energy audit
Soufflet Polska, operating in the brewing sector, decided to conduct the mandatory company energy audit in 2016. The audit report identified several areas for modernization that would enable the malt house to achieve significant financial savings, reduce greenhouse gas emissions, and maximize energy efficiency at the plant.
Project implementation
We proposed comprehensive solutions that contributed to achieving Soufflet Malt House’s goals. As General Contractor, we implemented:
- modernization of the thermal system through waste heat recovery with a capacity of 2.2 MW,
- production of thermal energy in cogeneration units,
- increased efficiency of the cooling system by building a new cooling source with a capacity of 4.2 MW,
- reduction of the plant’s emissions balance by using the generated heat in the malt drying process.
Two cogeneration units cover almost the entire electrical energy demand of the malt house.
ESCO model financing
Why did Soufflet Polska – and other companies – choose to improve energy efficiency via the ESCO model? Primarily because they do not bear the investment costs. The client’s investment budget can be allocated to other business goals. Moreover, savings can be realized from the first year after implementing new solutions. Lower energy consumption costs immediately improve the profitability of the client’s operations.
We chose the ESCO model because we were already committing our own budget to process investments. This type of financing did not burden our obligations and allowed us to benefit immediately after implementing the new solutions.
Results
- Total modernization cost: 29 million PLN
- Improved product quality thanks to thermal system modernization
- ESCO contract duration: 10 years
- Thermal energy savings: 30 GWh
- Electric energy savings: 12 GWh
- CO2 emission reduction: 9,543 tCO2 – 40% of total company emissions
The investment implemented by us at Soufflet Polska Malt House was awarded the Energy Transformation Leader 2025 title.
Conclusions
The project at Soufflet Malt House demonstrates that the mandatory enterprise energy audit can be the first step toward strategic energy transformation. Thanks to the ESCO model, it is possible to implement an investment without using own capital, with visible environmental and financial effects from the first year.
This shows that ambitious emission reduction goals in industry can be combined with improved competitiveness and production quality.
Download case study
Soufflet Polska Malt House in Poznan is a world leader in malt production. It belongs to the French agri-food group Soufflet, the largest family-owned grain trading company in Europe. The group employs over 7,000 people across eighteen countries.
Nasze najnowsze realizacje, które Cię zainteresują
The largest LNG-powered cogeneration unit in southern Poland – Schumacher Packaging Myszków
The largest LNG-powered cogeneration unit in southern Poland is now operating at Schumacher Packaging in Myszków. Thanks to an investment of 21.8 million PLN, the facility has achieved nearly 80% energy independence, producing almost 9 MW of electricity and significant amounts of heat. The project, implemented by DB Energy, demonstrates how an energy audit can serve as a starting point for a comprehensive energy transformation of a factory – from modernization of existing heat sources, through energy recovery, to the implementation of advanced cogeneration.
Przejdź do artykułuHigher production and lower emissions – a chemical industry client on the path to net zero
At a chemical plant in southern China, we developed a 4-month strategy to reduce emissions by 70%, enabling increased production while lowering energy consumption and laying the groundwork for achieving net zero by 2035.
Przejdź do artykułuZero-emission in practice – emission reduction in pharmaceutical chemistry
Zero-emission in the chemical industry is not theory but concrete action. For a client in the pharmaceutical sector, we prepared a CO₂ reduction roadmap and implemented an incinerator modernization with heat recovery. The result? 12 GWh of thermal energy saved, a reduction of 2,172 tCO₂, and a quick payback period.
Przejdź do artykułu
Czekaj