Berglandmilch paid five million euros for the wood chip heating plant in Feldkirchen near Mattighofen. Austria’s largest dairy does not only renounce natural gas in the Innviertel – and has taken the wrong path.
Wednesday, May 3rd, was no ordinary working day for Josef Braunshofer. “It’s smoking,” said Thomas Osl, head of the cheese dairy in Feldkirchen near Mattighofen, when the Berglandmilch boss got out of the car. And his eyes immediately wandered to the area of the factory premises where a wood chip heating plant had been installed in the last few months. The ramp-up phase began on May 3rd – a little later than planned. Austria’s largest dairy invested five million euros at the Innviertel site in order to reduce dependence on natural gas and thus on Russia to almost zero. The change had already been fixed before the war, and the associated capers on the energy market accelerated implementation. “There is no alternative” “Gas prices are very volatile. In addition, gas is fossil and therefore not sustainable,” emphasizes Braunshofer, “there is no alternative to the path we are taking”. Berglandmilch has been on the wrong track for a long time.115 tons of wood chips per week Farmers can now not only deliver milk to the dairy, but also energy from wood chips. The need is great: around 115 tons are needed per week in Feldkirchen alone.
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