Cefla is implementing the Energy Hub model for the Novara dairy company, supporting it along the transition path and propelling the company toward a future of independence and sustainability. Fewer costs, greater control, and reduced environmental impact.
The winning formula
IGOR Gorgonzola tells us a story almost a century long: four generations of the Leonardi family have built over the years a company that today is an expression of Italian food excellence. From a small dairy in Mezzomerico, a hillside village in Piedmont, to a well-known reality in national and international markets. One thing has never changed: the passion and desire to innovate.
The quest for sustainability
IGOR's goal when it began dealing with Cefla was clear: to become more competitive through a reduction in costs related to energy production, while maintaining the company's commitment to environmental sustainability.
A thorough energy analysis of the Cameri plant provided the elements to determine an optimal configuration of energy sources and a suitable strategy to achieve sustainability goals.
Optimizing cogeneration processes and beyond
Several elements contributed to shaping the transition process: first, the conversion of the power plant from steam to hot water, with the aim of making the generation process more efficient and optimizing recovery from both the two existing cogeneration plants and the newly built one. Second, Cefla proposed to IGOR to centralize thermal power generation in a single Hub and to build a hot water distribution network with the aim of effectively integrating both the existing plant and the new spaces that the company was already planning to implement; a new dairy and a new whey pulverizing plant. The decision to centralize energy production has become a key aspect in anticipation of future company expansions.
To complete the system, a thermal storage tank will be installed to ensure an increase in heat recovery from the cogenerators.
Cefla strongly believed in and supported this proposal, with the aim also of making the most of the biomethane that IGOR has decided to produce from the by-products of milk processing.
The two companies continue to work closely together, planning future interventions that will ensure further operational efficiency, supporting the energy transition and lowering emissions.
Fuel Cell Technology Integration.
NOVA SOLUTION by Cefla's innovative Fuel Cell cogeneration plant was chosen by IGOR, as it is an essential strategic element for the project as a whole. It is an innovative technology that, in the absence of combustion, enables the conversion of fuel energy into electricity with high efficiency and without generation of harmful emissions into the atmosphere. IGOR has planned to build two NOVA SOLUTION by Cefla cogeneration plants.
The first 650 kWe plant that, fueled by biomethane, will be integrated within the Energy Hub serving the production plant, while the second plant of 750 kWe that, fueled by biogas, will be used as a power and heat generation system serving the biomethane production plant.
Fuel Cell cogeneration fits perfectly into the efficiency enhancement process, as it achieves higher electrical generation efficiency than traditional cogeneration; expected efficiencies exceed 54 percent.
The integration of the Fuel Cell solution with conventional cogeneration systems therefore makes it possible to achieve extremely high overall plant efficiencies.
"Starting with the two endothermic cogenerators already in operation, Cefla's action results in a strategic enhancement. Through the Energy Hub approach, a crucial synergy is created between existing infrastructure and new solutions, ensuring efficiency both for the current plant and in view of future expansions." Fabio Leonardi, CEO of IGOR Gorgonzola
Partnership and method
"From the initial sharing of ideas and values, a partnership was born that we hope will enable IGOR to achieve important results. The uniqueness of the project lies in the pursuit of almost total energy self-sufficiency, making the most of the by-products of the processing that takes place within the plant.
To achieve certain goals, it is necessary to adopt a strategy and walk a path together: this is the winning formula from which the value of the partnership emerges."
Mario Gargano, Sales Director, Power Generation, of Cefla, tells us.
All these actions guide IGOR towards a path that confirms its extraordinary virtuosity in terms of optimization and efficiency.
To read the article in Il Sole 24 Ore click here
Published on December 18, 2025
