WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senator Peter Welch (D-Vt.) applauded the Department of Energy (DOE)’s selection of Unilever Ice Cream Manufacturing Decarbonization project, which includes Ben & Jerry’s St. Albans and Waterbury ice cream manufacturing facilities, for awards that are part of the Biden Administration’s efforts to decarbonize energy-intensive industries. The award will help the company upgrade gas boilers with electric boilers and industrial heat pumps across four ice cream manufacturing facilities to increase energy efficiency and reduce emissions associated with the production of packaged ice cream and other frozen novelty products.
“World-class dairy and one-of-a-kind ice cream has always been a core part of Vermont’s culture, and finding greener ways to enjoy this pastime will make it that much sweeter. In addition to decarbonizing two large manufacturing facilities in Vermont, these federal funds from the Department of Energy and the Biden-Harris Administration will help create good-paying, green construction jobs in rural communities, support local farmers, and contribute to community-building initiatives that make Vermont stronger,” said Senator Welch.
The upgrades to four ice cream manufacturing facilities across Tennessee, Missouri, and Vermont are expected to reduce carbon dioxide emissions by more than 14,000 metric tons per year with a pathway to address 100% of heat-related process emissions. Along with reduced emissions, this project will create a model that could lead to further decarbonization throughout the food and beverage sector where approximately 50% of processing emissions are from low temperature heating. This project will also create up to 300 construction jobs across the four sites.
The 33 projects selected for award negotiations are part of the Industrial Demonstrations Program, managed by DOE’s Office of Clean Energy Demonstrations (OCED). The projects will cut carbon emissions by an average of 77% and help strengthen America’s manufacturing and industrial competitiveness. Funding for these projects includes $489 million from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law and $5.47 billion from the Inflation Reduction Act.
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