Carlsberg UKWorking in partnership to achieve ambitious energy & carbon-reduction targets

Case study: Carlsberg UK02

Requirement:Carlsberg UK needed an electricity and gas supplier for all of its UK sites, including its flagship brewery in Northampton. At the same time, Carlsberg in the UK needed to work towards the Group’s ambitious energy and carbon-reduction targets.

“The energy contract proposal from ENGIE was absolutely aligned with our energy strategy. Energy reduction is high on our agenda, and ENGIE looked at what they could do to support us in achieving our goals. During the tender, the energy purchasing element was seen as a given, and instead ENGIE placed the emphasis on supporting our energy reductions. As a result, we feel like we have not simply signed a new supplier but appointed a true partner to help us achieve our ambitions.”

James Lyman, Energy & Environment Engineer, Carlsberg UK

The Solution:ENGIE responded with an innovative dual fuel contract proposal, which included not just the supply of energy, but also a funding allowance for energy-efficiency projects. This offer of energy-management support and partnership perfectly complemented Carlsberg’s objectives and provided a unique opportunity to accelerate its energy-saving programme.

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Achieving the ISO 50001 accreditation

Work began with a detailed energy survey of the brewery, which identified more than 20 opportunities, ranging from fitting LED lighting and optimising air-handling units through to installing solar panels and introducing battery storage. These opportunities were developed into investment-grade business cases, offering potential savings of £2.8m per year, against one-off capital costs of £9.5m. They included a proposal to construct a new energy centre, incorporating a combined heat and power (CHP) plant to replace conventional boilers and significantly reduce gas consumption.

To the delight of the Carlsberg UK business, the ISO 50001 accreditation was achieved ahead of schedule. Achieving this certification also meant that Carlsberg automatically complied with the Energy Savings Opportunity Scheme (ESOS), saving the business up to £30,000 on the cost of compliance.

Support from ENGIEWhen ENGIE was appointed, the top priority for Carlsberg UK was to achieve ISO 50001 accreditation. ENGIE pledged to support Carlsberg to achieve the certification on time. ENGIE provided dedicated resource qualified in ISO 50001, to assist in setting up a new energy management system. Through collaboration between ENGIE and Carlsberg’s key stakeholders on site, this was successfully implemented within the desired timescales. At the same time, a list of energy projects were developed into investment-grade proposals. These fed into the ISO 50001 process, but also set out a strategy to achieve tangible energy, carbon and cost savings for the site.

‘Together Towards Zero’ strategy

The Carlsberg Group has a ‘Together Towards Zero’ strategy, which has a target to eliminate carbon emissions from its breweries by 2030. The energy efficiency work offered by ENGIE will help their UK Group to work towards this ambition. The next step is to work through the proposals developed by ENGIE and begin implementing the changes required. The first project is underway to install energy-saving variable speed drives on pumps in the plant.

The contract between Carlsberg UK and ENGIE represents a true partnership, with ENGIE specialists regularly being on site, working as part of the Carlsberg energy and environment team. ENGIE understands the operational and manufacturing processes at the Northampton brewery, and ensures that its recommendations work in harmony with these industrial processes and their business priorities. Consequently, Carlsberg UK trusts ENGIE to work in its best interests to optimise energy efficiency and support its wider environmental objectives.

For more informationEmail: business.energy@engie.com • Web: engie.co.uk