Milky Mist Commissions 10 MW Solar Plant at Arasanoor

Milky Mist Dairy Food, an Indian packaged food company, has announced the commissioning of its new 10 MW solar power plant at Arasanoor. This is in addition to the 15 MW Solar Plant commissioned earlier at the same location. The total investment in the 25 MW Solar capacity at Arasanoor now stands at INR109.60 crore. 

Milky Mist has been steadily investing in renewable energy since 2016, when it commissioned its first 2 MW solar plant. With the addition of the 25 MW facility, the company has expanded its renewable energy generation capacity across multiple locations, comprising 5 MW at Chithode, 9 MW at Kavilipalayam, 25 MW at Arasanoor and 2 MW of wind power at Kayathar aggregating to 41 MW Renewable energy. 

The solar installations have been developed on arid and open land that is not suitable for effective farming, enabling the company to utilise such land productively while advancing its renewable energy objectives. With the new capacity becoming operational, renewable sources meet the company’s total power requirements. 

The 25 MW facility is expected to generate approximately 2.0 million units of renewable electricity annually and support the energy requirements of the company’s integrated manufacturing facility at Perundurai and its milk chilling centres across multiple locations. The additional renewable capacity is expected to reduce the company’s dependence on conventional power and help avoid approximately 16,000 tonnes of carbon emissions annually. 

Since commissioning its first solar plant in 2016, Milky Mist has invested close to INR 197 crore for 41MW in renewable energy generation plants. The company has cumulatively generated approximately 210 million units of power, equivalent to a value of around INR 165 crore. The company’s solar plants are designed for a minimum operating life of approximately 28–30 years, with the installed capacity expected to generate around 1,400 million units of electricity over its lifecycle, equivalent to an estimated reduction of approximately 1.35 million tonnes of CO₂ emissions. These investments form part of Milky Mist’s broader strategy to strengthen energy self-sufficiency, enhance operational efficiency and support its long-term sustainability objectives as well as significant savings in energy expenditure. 

Milky Mist has invested in steam turbine technology and a methane gas purification plant, which generates approximately 15,000 units of electricity daily. The Company has also leveraged its effluent treatment operations for captive power generation, wherein methane generated through the process is purified and converted into Compressed Natural Gas (CNG). In addition, the company uses biomass for its boiler operations, further reducing its dependence on conventional sources of energy. 

Investment in renewable energy forms part of Milky Mist’s broader focus on building a technology-led, resource-efficient and future-ready manufacturing platform. Going forward, the company will continue to evaluate opportunities to improve energy efficiency, increase the use of renewable power across its operations and sustain Power Neutrality. 

T Sathish Kumar, Chairman and Managing Director, Milky Mist Dairy Food, said, “At Milky Mist, our approach to growth has always been guided by a long-term vision of building a business that is responsible in its use of resources and conscious of its impact on the environment. We believe that sustainability must be embedded in the way an enterprise is built, operated and scaled, rather than viewed as a standalone initiative. Our investments in renewable energy, resource-efficient technologies and alternative sources of power are a reflection of this philosophy. The commissioning of our new 10 MW solar power plant is another significant step in this journey, taking renewable sources to over 100 percent of our total power requirements. As we continue to expand our operations, our endeavour is to strengthen energy self sufficiency, advance more sustainable manufacturing practices and create enduring value for our business, our stakeholders and the environment.”