Energy & Emissions
Decarbonisation strategy 2040
This challenging target can only be achieved by a politically and societally supported mix of measures in several steps. While there is only limited potential for further improvement in energy efficiency using existing technologies, AGRANA’s possible ways of transitioning to renewable energy sources include purchasing electricity from renewable sources and, additionally, generating its own energy from biomass.
Thus far, AGRANA has been striving for the complete cascading use of agricultural raw materials in the manufacture of core products (mainly food ingredients) and by-products (animal feed and fertiliser), true to its principle of full utilisation and in line with the concept of a bio-economy. The primary focus in this, besides the products’ commercial marketability, is their usability for the human food chain. On the by-products side, AGRANA’s high-quality GMO-free protein animal feeds, which help to reduce the European protein feed gap that is covered by imports of predominantly genetically modified soya feed from overseas, are of particular importance.
In principle, in the future, low-protein raw material residues could be used to generate energy and replace fossil energy sources, as in AGRANA’s Hungarian sugar factory in Kaposvar, where beet pulp and other residues have already been used for biogas production for several years. However, as the utilisation for energy recovery cuts into feedstuff revenue, appropriate business conditions are required for it to be implemented economically. By the end of the 2020|21 financial year, the last year of its current target period, AGRANA will develop a concrete, staged plan for decarbonisation by 2040 which, in addition to a swift total phase-out of coal and coke use, will include projects for energy recovery from biomass.