Business case on RECP assessment in "Bnakat" LLC
"Bnakat" is a dairy producer from Yerevan. Established in 2011, the enterprise started its operation with the production of the Lori Mozzarella cheese and gradually expanded the production line throughout the years. The company’s facilities are separated into two sections: the first, consisting of the paving production line, and the latter, which comprises the administration staff. Once the planned renovation is complete, the production line will benefit from new pieces of equipment. Motivated to improve energy efficiency and its overall performance, the company participated in the RECP Demonstration Project under EU4Environment (2019-2024). This publication shows the company’s experience reported after the monitoring exercise conducted in 2022-2023.
The RECP assessment examined the production site and identified several RECP options, out of which the following three were prioritized by the company. These measures are medium to high-cost recommendations:
RECP Option 1. The treatment and reuse of cheese production residuals: This measure consists of repurposing and selling whey to beer producers as raw material (instead of discharging it as wastewater directly to the municipal sewage system). This would increase turnover by EUR 180,000 per year and simultaneously reduce waste generation.
RECP Option 2. Installing a photovoltaic (PV) solar system: This measure consists of installing a 120 kW PV solar system to cover the energy needs of the company, helping it gain energy independence.
RECP Option 3. Replacing the old, inefficient cooling equipment: This measure consists of replacing the old, energy-inefficient cooling equipment with new, energy-efficient devices with a coefficient of performance (COP) higher than 2.5.
