Tate & Lyle PLC is pleased to announce a $75 million investment in a new natural gas-fired combined heat and power system to deliver significant environmental and economic benefits at its Lafayette South corn wet milling facility in Lafayette, Indiana. This investment, announced on World Environment Day, will support the delivery of Tate & Lyle’s ambitious new sustainability targets for 2030 published last month including to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, eliminate coal from its operations, and reduce water use.

The new gas turbines will generate electricity and steam to power and heat the facility, delivering a significant improvement in energy and operational efficiency. The new co-generation system will replace the site’s coal-fired boiler, delivering around 40 percent reduction in greenhouse gas emissions and around 5 percent reduction in water use.

Work at the site to transition from a coal-fired boiler to new gas turbines is being undertaken with strict safety protocols that include social distancing and other protective measures.

This investment follows completion of a similar system at Tate & Lyle’s corn wet mill in Loudon, Tennessee in 2017. Tate & Lyle has a six-year, US$150 million productivity program, which is now in its third year, and this investment is part of delivering that program.

Travis Montoya, Plant Manager at Lafayette South, said: “This major investment will make our facility more efficient and directly benefit the local community through improved air quality, decreased water use, and less truck traffic. At Lafayette South, we have a strong track record of energy efficiency, having received the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s ENERGY STAR accreditation for five consecutive years; this is a real source of pride for the local team. We appreciate the State of Indiana and the City of Lafayette’s support in helping to move this project forward.

Melissa Law, President of Global Operations at Tate & Lyle, added: “A key pillar of our purpose of Improving Lives for Generations, is to care for our planet and to help protect its natural resources for the benefit of future generations. This project at Lafayette South is a great example of our purpose in action and will help us meet our ambitious new environmental commitments, driving important energy-saving and environmental benefits.”