Energy Partners Refrigeration, a leading provider of Cooling-as-a-Service (CaaS) solutions for commercial and industrial refrigeration based in South Africa, redesigned the refrigeration system for one of Sovereign Foods’ processing facilities in Hartbeespoort. The new ammonia-based system will deliver a cooling capacity of 5.4 MW to the processing plant. This collaboration builds upon a previous successful project with Sovereign Foods in Uitenhage in 2021, where Energy Partners implemented a new ammonia refrigeration system as well as outsourced steam and waste heat recovery.
Mainstreaming sustainable cooling in South Africa
Energy Partners specialises in designing, installing, and operating refrigeration projects, as well as investing in, owning, and maintaining refrigeration assets while offering off-balance solutions to its customers. Since launching CaaS in 2016, Energy Partners now manages an asset base of over USD 30 million, showcasing its strong track record through successful projects with clients like Clover, Dr. Oetker, and Afrupro.
For this project with Sovereign Foods, Energy Partners designed a three-stage ammonia system with screw and reciprocating compressors, evaporative condensers, and water-based oil cooling for screw compressors. Variable speed drives on compressors and condensers offer precise control and energy management. A master control system optimises the entire refrigeration process. A standout feature is the heat reclaim system that recovers energy from the compressor oil cooling process to preheat the facility’s hot water tanks, reducing reliance on conventional boilers and lowering fuel consumption.
Digital twin technology has estimated baseline energy savings of 20 percent. This is crucial given limitations in the electricity supply to the site, which impacts the feasibility of expanding production.
Leveraging the Cooling-as-a-Service business model
Adopting the CaaS model, Sovereign Foods benefits from an efficient refrigeration system without upfront investment. Energy Partners also integrated steam and waste-heat recovery, further optimising energy consumption and use, as well as noise reduction measures to comply with local regulations. This project exemplifies the potential for integrated solutions in the food processing sector, emphasising energy efficiency and the use of natural refrigerants to promote responsible growth within the industry.
“Sovereign’s strategy is to partner with service providers who offer reliable, cost-effective and innovative solutions and Energy Partners was able to offer solutions for both steam and refrigeration. The offering of steam and cooling sales (where Sovereign buys units of energy – kg’s of steam and kW’s of refrigeration) reduces our risk profile and enables us to focus on our core business of producing high-quality, affordable and very tasty products for our customers.”
– Pieter van der Smit, Production Manager, Sovereign Foods Ltd
Sovereign Foods’ processing facility in Hartbeespoort.
To learn more about this project, Energy Partners, and the benefits of CaaS, download the full case study:
