Yeast plant invests to yield energy saving

NCHOR Yeast makes its mark in helping save energy and sustain the environment.
Last year Anchor Yeast ran a very successful electricity reduction project from January to December. “The aim of the project was to make the yeast plant more electrically efficient,” said engineering director, Gary Clancy.
Anchor Yeast achieved their electricity saving by replacing their ammonia refrigeration plant with evaporative cooling towers and increased heat transfer surfaces.
“The benefits of installing evaporative cooling towers are twofold: They require a lot less energy to operate than conventional refrigeration plants and they are a lot more reliable as they are primarily dependent on pumps rather than compressors.
There is also no requirement for a refrigerant such as ammonia. All new equipment is run on variable speed drives which are more efficient than fixed speed motors,” said Gary.
This was a multi-million rand project and the company’s monthly electricity reduction has been approximately R1,5 million a month.
“Staff at Anchor Yeast view the electricity reduction as having a positive impact on the environment and further improving the viability of the business,” said Gary.
An electricity saving has been sustained since the project was completed last year. “Anchor Yeast will continue to look for opportunities to reduce energy consumption. The company is very focused on energy reduction,” said Gary.