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Natural Gas Boiler and Heating
Opportunity Statement/Synopsis
Maple Leaf Foods is seeking innovative, commercially viable alternatives to natural gas boilers to significantly reduce Scope 1 emissions across its 21 North American facilities. These solutions should address key heating and cooking processes, including steam generation, sanitation hot water, and oven fuel. The company is open to high-temperature heat pump technologies and other low-emissions systems that can operate at industrial scale.
Maple Leaf Foods is committed to reducing its carbon footprint, with Scope 1 emissions largely driven by natural gas use in 18 Canadian and 3 U.S. facilities. These plants rely on natural gas boilers to generate steam (100–110 PSI), provide sanitation hot water (145-150°F), and power ovens. Natural gas is also used for rooftop heating and direct-contact water heating systems. Although some systems, such as direct contact water heaters used for sanitation hot water, achieve up to 97% thermal efficiency through flue gas capture, conventional boilers typically operate at 80–85% efficiency. As such, further gains from conventional upgrades are limited and even at peak efficiency, these systems still generate Scope 1 emissions.
Previous attempts at electrification and solar thermal solutions have been constrained by cost, electricity pricing, and impractical long-term contracts. The company is currently evaluating innovative cooking technologies and high-temperature heat pumps (target output: 140–150°F) but seeks scalable, industrial-grade alternatives that overcome the limitations of prior trials.
In-Scope Solutions Should:
- Deliver heating for steam generation, sanitation hot water, or oven operations.
- Include high-temperature heat pumps (air-to-air or ground-to-air) or other alternatives capable of reaching up to 150°F for sanitation hot water. For steam generation, solutions should be capable of delivering saturated steam at 110 PSI (approximately 344°F).
- Demonstrate suitability for dispersed, industrial-scale deployment.
- Be cost-effective relative to natural gas under current electricity rates.
- Be commercially available or close to commercial demonstration stage.
Out-of-Scope Solutions Include:
- Heat-as-a-service models unsuitable for rural/low-density facility locations.
- District energy systems reliant on proximity or shared infrastructure.
- Solar thermal systems with long-term contractual obligations.
- Solutions not able to demonstrate viability in high-temperature, industrial applications.
Selected solution providers will have the chance to collaborate with one of Canada’s largest food manufacturers on deploying transformative heating and cooking technologies. Opportunities include pilot project implementation across multiple facilities and potential long-term commercial partnerships. Providers will gain visibility in the North American agri-food sector and help lead decarbonization in a critical, high-emissions industry.
Maple Leaf Foods is a leading Canadian consumer protein company operating 21 manufacturing facilities in North America. The company is dedicated to becoming the most sustainable protein company on earth and is actively investing in technologies and innovations that reduce its environmental footprint. Maple Leaf Foods has declared carbon neutrality and continually seeks impactful ways to reduce Scope 1 emissions from its operations.