In the beverage industry, beer production is one of the most energy-intensive sectors, particularly in processes such as boiling, fermentation, and cooling — operations that require continuous and high-intensity energy use. Amid rising fuel prices, the gradual depletion of fossil energy sources, and increasingly stringent emission reduction requirements under Vietnam’s Net Zero 2050 commitment, breweries are compelled to seek new approaches that ensure both production efficiency and environmental sustainability.

With a designed capacity of 50 million liters per year on a 2.3-hectare site, HABECO-ID is one of the major beer production facilities under the Hanoi Beer – Alcohol – Beverage Corporation (HABECO). Recognizing the urgency of the energy challenge, the company has identified energy efficiency as a key pillar in its sustainability strategy and has developed a concrete and synchronized action roadmap.

According to Ms. Nguyen Thu Ha, Director of HABECO-ID, the company has actively implemented policies on efficient energy use, closely aligned with the National Program on Energy Efficiency for the 2019–2030 period and the Law on Using Energy Efficiency and Conservation. To achieve the target of reducing total production energy consumption by 0.5–1% annually compared to previous years, HABECO-ID has established an Energy Management Board to monitor and implement annual energy plans, while promoting technical improvements and enhancing awareness and responsibility among all employees in energy efficiency efforts.

Over the past five years, HABECO-ID has simultaneously carried out multiple energy-saving initiatives such as improving ventilation in operation areas, upgrading the backwash water recovery system, reusing excess steam for brewing, optimizing chiller operating times, adjusting pump and fan schedules, recovering compressed air, utilizing waste heat, and investing in a biomass boiler to replace the old coal-fired system. Among these, the transition from fossil fuels to biomass has yielded the most significant improvement in energy efficiency.

Mr. Tran Dang Tuan, Deputy Director of HABECO-ID, explained: Previously, our entire steam supply system operated on coal-fired boilers, an outdated technology that consumed large amounts of fuel and emitted considerable CO₂. In 2024, the company invested in a high-efficiency biomass boiler using sawdust and dried wood chips as fuel. The project, with a total investment of VND 15 billion, was installed and put into operation at the end of 2024.

The initial operational results show that the new biomass boiler achieves 89% efficiency, much higher than the 73% efficiency of the previous system. As a result, the company now saves around 535.8 tons of coal annually, equivalent to VND 3.2 billion in fuel cost savings per year, while reducing approximately 980.5 tons of CO₂ emissions, accounting for 15.8% of the plant’s total emissions.

Before the project, HABECO-ID’s total energy consumption was about 1,222.8 TOE/year, including 4,157,014 kWh of electricity and 2,593 tons of coal, which generated around 6,207 tons of CO₂ annually. After switching to biomass fuel, fuel consumption dropped significantly, helping the company improve its specific energy consumption (SEC) from 228.1 MJ/hl to nearly the industry benchmark of 196 MJ/hl.

Beyond the boiler upgrade, HABECO-ID has reviewed its entire energy system and developed a long-term energy efficiency plan integrated with production targets. Technical solutions are prioritized based on payback potential and actual emission reduction impact.

Mr. Tran Dang Tuan emphasized: “The shift from fossil fuels to biomass not only delivers economic benefits but also has tremendous significance in reducing emissions and protecting the environment.”

In the context of increasingly stringent emission and environmental standards for Vietnamese enterprises, HABECO-ID’s efforts serve as a model example of a domestic enterprise proactively adopting technological innovation, enhancing energy efficiency, and pursuing sustainable development, thereby contributing to the nation’s overall emission reduction goals.