Mars Petcare Australia’s Wodonga manufacturing facility for packaged pet food products is set to be Australia’s first large-scale steam-based manufacturing site to deploy a 100 per cent renewable energy solution for both electricity and process steam by 2026.
Australia’s Prime Minister, Anthony Albanese, and Minister for Climate Change and Energy, Chris Bowen, joined Mars Petcare ANZ general manager, Craig Sargeant on 30 October to officially announce Mars Wodonga Solar Thermal Plant. Developed with the Australian Government, this initiative will be the first commercial deployment of Concentrated Solar Thermal (CST) technology in Australia.
Sargeant said, “Decarbonising site-based process heat, coupled with Mars Australia’s 100 per cent renewable electricity use, is a significant achievement that not only reflects our ongoing commitment to sustainability but also positions our Wodonga facility as a leader in green process heat manufacturing on a national scale.”
The $39.3 million Mars Wodonga Solar Thermal Plant will spearhead this transition, including the installation of an 18-megawatt Parabolic Trough Concentrated Solar Thermal (CST) plant that will provide up to 10 hours of thermal energy storage for cooking petfood. The project, which includes a $17.2 million grant from the Australian Government through the Australian Renewable Energy Agency (ARENA), marks the first commercial deployment of parabolic trough CST technology in Australia.
“Investing in renewable energy technologies like CST is critical to decarbonising industrial processes, particularly in sectors that heavily rely on gas for steam-based manufacturing,” Sargeant continued. “CST offers a powerful solution by capturing and storing solar energy, in the form of high temperature heat, for use at any time, making it an ideal fit for our steam-based manufacturing needs.”
The project also builds on Mars’ implementation of Electric Thermal Energy Storage (eTES) technology, which allows the facility to utilize low-cost, grid-connected renewable electricity during off-peak times to generate and store heat that can produce steam at any time of day or night. This eTEs system, supported by CSIRO, provides a cost-effective, renewable alternative to gas.
Mars Petcare says these initiatives are helping create a renewable energy hub in north-east Victoria, supporting the local economy, delivering jobs and benefiting the community.
In June last year, Mars Petcare announced investment to the tune of $112.6 million at the Wodonga site, which would bring pet food production onshore, create 60 new jobs, and see the installation of two advanced single-serve pouch filling lines. This new facility will be located next to the existing Wodonga factory and is set to be fully operational by mid 2025. It will have an annual 25kT capacity, or 290 million pouches.
Mars Petcare also recently announced its Schmackos brand has switched its 200g and 500g single variety packs of Strapz and Stix to packaging made from 60 per cent recycled plastic through a mass balance approach.
