WORK is underway on the creation of a £4.5 million state-of-the-art and environmentally friendly refrigeration system at an Aberdeenshire family farm.
Mackie’s of Scotland has taken delivery of the first parts for the project that will increase its ice cream production and reduce both energy use and CO2 emissions by 80%.
With just two similar systems across the UK, once it is operational later this year, it will be the first of its kind in Scotland.
Mackie’s, headquartered in Rothienorman, secured £2.5 million from the Scottish Government’s Low Carbon Infrastructure Transition Programme and the firm is matching it with an investment of £2.5million.
Mac Mackie, Mackie’s managing director, said: “This freezer can be the final piece in the jigsaw to our farm becoming entirely self-sufficient in renewable energy.
“With our solar farm, wind turbines and existing biomass system powering 70% of our annual energy needs, the next stage was to look at ways of slashing our energy requirements.
“We first set out on the journey towards this refrigeration back in 2018 – and are grateful that the support from the Scottish Government and the European Regional Development Fund will enable us to make this happen. It should create an exemplar low-carbon refrigeration plant for Scotland.”
Unlike some systems that use environmentally damaging HCFC gases, Mackie’s new system will run on ammonia, powered by hot-water from a large biomass boiler that, through an absorption chiller, will cool too -15C with minimal electrical input.
Where necessary, conventional refrigeration compressors will reduce the temperature further to -30C .
Mackie’s produces more than 10 million litres of ice cream every year. Its renewable energy is derived from four wind turbines that produce 8500 MWh of electricity each year and its 7000-panel solar farm.
Mackie’s fourth-generation family farm started producing ice cream in 1986.
