TWO large red meat processors have picked up Federal Government grants as part of the Australian Renewable Energy Agency program to deploy novel renewable technologies.

G&K O’Connor’s plant at Pakenham VIC

Awarded as part of ARENA’s work to drive industrial decarbonisation, the latest round of grants will support ten Australian businesses in to undertake feasibility studies. Eligible sectors include agriculture, mining, manufacturing, gas supply, water supply, waste services, and data centres.

Among the latest grant recipients, Victorian beef processor G&K O’Connor received $399,503 to achieve comprehensive decarbonisation for its processing facility near Pakenham.

G&K O’Connor is a family-owned Australian red meat processor aiming to close the loop on food processing energy and emissions. The company says it is doing this through the deployment of renewable energy, energy efficiency programs and waste-to-energy initiatives.

G&K O’Connor started its decarbonisation journey last year by implementing rooftop solar PV and LED lighting throughout the facility. These two off-the-shelf technologies, installed and commissioned in early 2023, had an immediate impact on energy costs and emissions with minimal site disruption.

The company in January last year commissioned a 1.26 MW rooftop solar panel system, now producing more electricity than expected. The solar project will reduce the site’s emissions by 1390 tCO2-e per year, providing annual cost savings of more than $200,000. The project will generate Victorian Energy Efficiency Certificates that will cover 40pc of the investment.

Other meat companies that received ARENA project funding in the latest round included Bindaree Food Group in northern NSW, receiving a $147,800 grant to investigate biomass processing options to harness energy from waste at its processing facility near Inverell.

ARENA’s industrial decarbonisation programs include the $400 million Industrial Transformation Stream (ITS) and the $40 million National Industrial Transformation (NIT) Program.

The ITS and NIT Programs support feasibility and engineering studies and demonstration and deployment for renewable energy, energy efficiency, and electrification projects for Australian industries.

ARENA chief executive Darren Miller said the studies supported with grants demonstrated a range of industrial energy users that are taking steps to reduce emissions.

“Meeting Australia’s emissions reduction targets will require businesses in Australia’s most energy intensive industries making actionable plans to incorporate renewables in their operations,” Mr Miller said.

“The grants announced last week are for businesses eager to get on the front foot, looking to deploy renewable energy technologies in new ways.”