Arnold's Cove fish plant going green

A fish plant in southeastern Newfoundland is receiving $170,000 from the Newfoundland and Labrador government to install environmentally friendly equipment that is expected to cut the plant's costs dramatically.

Icewater Seafoods in Arnold's Cove is installing a system to capture heat generated by the machinery it uses to freeze fish and then pump it back into the plant.

That's expected to cut heating bills at  the 60,000-square-foot facility.

"We're assuming it's going to be $80,000 to $100,000 per year in savings," Icewater Seafoods president Alberto Wareham said Monday.

Provincial Environment Minister Charlene Johnson was in Arnold's Cove Monday to present Icewater Seafoods with a cheque for half the price of the new heat recovery system. The company will have to find the other $170,000 itself.

Johnson said new heating system will reduce the facility's greenhouse gas emissions by about 500 tonnes per year and reduce the plant's fuel consumption.

"About 160,000 to 180,000 litres of oil that won't need to be used anymore in this plant – so that is absolutely fabulous," she said.

Wareham said Icewater Seafoods has been making smaller eco-friendly changes as well.

It has installed fuel efficient lights that require less electricity, and Wareham said the plant monitors its energy usage daily.

"We've saved approximately $70,000 to $80,000 a year already," said Wareham.