The dairy will be the Nordic region's most energy efficient.
"I'm impressed with the forward-looking solutions you choose for energy and the environment," said Prime Minister Solberg, who wished TINE luck with the construction of the dairy.
The NOK 800m ($101m) dairy will be energy-efficient and based on renewable energy.
This involves connection to the district heating network at Flesland and 6,000 square meters of solar cells on the roof for electricity production.
On site, TINE is building its own filling station for biofuels for trucks and charging stations for electric cars. TINE is also undertaking a gradual transition to electrically-powered distribution vehicles.
Innovative dairy
The production process will be environmentally-friendly and energy-efficient.
A heat pump that recovers heat from the cold store and produces steam for use in production is one example. The dairy in Flesland will be the first with such technology.
Surplus heat from production will be recycled and used for underfloor heating, snow melting, hot water and heating. In addition, energy-efficient LED lighting and other equipment will reduce energy consumption.
TINE CEO Hanne Refsholt said the company has identified various projects that will significantly reduce greenhouse gas emissions from dairy production. Half of the company’s facilities already run on renewable energy.
“We are working to ensure that by 2023 all our dairies can be operated 100% percent on renewable energy,” Refsholt said.
Production lines
The dairy will have six production lines, with an annual production of 36.2m liters of milk, 1.6m liters of cream and 5.7m liters of juice. The dairy distributes fresh dairy products directly to shops, schools and kindergartens in Hordaland and large parts of Sogn og Fjordane.