Coca‑Cola Hellenic and ContourGlobal open new energy-saving plant in Ploiesti

Romanian Combined Heat and Power (CHP) plant is the first of 15 to be introduced in 12 countries resulting in a 20% reduction of CO2 emissions across 80 beverage production plants.

Coca‑Cola Hellenic and ContourGlobal have inaugurated an advanced energy saving power plant in Romania as part of an initiative to slash annual CO2 
emissions across all of Coca‑Cola Hellenic’s operations by more than 20%. 

The Combined Heat and Power (CHP) plant, constructed in partnership with power development company ContourGlobal, is installed at the Coca‑Cola Hellenic bottling facility in the city of Ploiesti. It is the first of 15 plants that Coca‑Cola Hellenic has pledged to build in 12 countries, including eight European Union Member States.

The development of the Ploiesti plant follows a pilot project in Hungary in 2006 which reduced CO2 emissions by 43%, equivalent to a 20% reduction across all 80 beverage production plants, well ahead of the 2020 deadline for emission reductions set by the European Union. 

Speaking at the official opening ceremony in Ploiesti, Professor Geoffrey Boulton, Regius Professor in the University of Edinburgh and a member of the UK Prime Minister's Council for Science and Technology said, “…there could be a global average temperature increase of about 40 C by the end of the century. This may not seem much, but it doubles the global warming from the last ice age to the present.” 

Professor Boulton, who chairs the Energy Committee of the Royal Society (the world’s oldest national science academy) and is very active in European Union preparations for the landmark climate summit in Copenhagen, continued, “Coca‑Cola Hellenic is taking responsibility and 
leadership by collaborating with technology company ContourGlobal in reducing emissions. It represents an early step in responding to what is probably the most difficult challenge that the human race has ever collectively had to face, that of global climate and planetary sustainability.” 

The CHP plant supplies highly efficient, clean electricity as well as heat and cooling for the soft drink production facility. At the same time, clean electricity is delivered to the local grid, providing energy-efficient power for the surrounding community in Ploiesti. Coca‑Cola Hellenic and ContourGlobal will open up to three plants more this year with others following in 2010 and beyond. 

Another newly introduced feature of the facility in Ploiesti is an intelligent, fully automated, mega High-Bay warehouse which is the first of its kind in Romania. The system takes palletised products from the six production lines via a conveyor and allows for storage and retrieval of stock using 11 automated cranes. 

The on-site storage facility heightens efficiency and also provides Coca‑Cola Hellenic with the 
flexibility to expand capacity as its business further develops.