Lindt USA, the leading manufacturer of premium chocolates in the world, and Public Service of New Hampshire (PSNH), the largest electric utility in New Hampshire, announced a partnership to produce renewable power by burning cocoa bean shells. Lindt will supply the cocoa bean shells to PSNH.
Stratham-based Lindt manufactures premium chocolates from raw materials to the finished product. During the production of chocolate, richly-flavored pulp is extracted from the roasted and crushed raw cocoa beans leaving the shells as a byproduct. The pulp is then mixed with a variety of ingredients as per the requirement of the recipe. In the New Hampshire state, cocoa bean shells are named as a biomass fuel source. PSNH will utilize these cocoa shells, supplied by Lindt, as supplementary source of fuel at its Schiller Station power plant located in Portsmouth, New Hampshire.
Chief Executive Officer and President, Lindt USA, Thomas Linemayr, said the entire chocolate manufacturing process in the company is controlled from the selection of cocoa beans to final stage of the product. This partnership with PSNH provides the company with an excellent opportunity to reduce its carbon footprint while disposing the shells, Linemayr said.
In March 2009, the concept of using cocoa bean shell for producing electricity was tested. After obtaining the approval from the Department of Environmental Services in New Hampshire, the concept is now being implemented officially.
Bill Smagula, PSNH Director – Generation, said the company has taken many initiatives to improve its environmental programs. For every ton of cocoa shells utilized for producing electricity, it replaces one half-ton of coal, according to Smagula.