GEA designs new cold storage facility for Betko in South Africa

GEA has supported Betko Fresh Produce with a new, energy-optimised controlled-atmosphere cold storage facility in South Africa's Western Cape. The Betko Sunnyside facility expands the company's apple and pear storage capacity to up to 14 months, while simultaneously reducing peak power demand by 20 percent.

The facility features 24 controlled-atmosphere chambers, each capable of holding 1,200 bins. The building design incorporates energy efficiency, insulated floors, and a high-efficiency refrigeration system using GEA Grasso V series compressors and variable frequency drives. The Adaptive Suction Set Point Control system continuously recalculates and optimises operating points for each chamber.

Betko's Managing Director Roux Groenewald highlighted the essential role of cold storage for the company's business model, stating the new facility addresses limitations in space and available power. Managing electricity demand was a key challenge due to South Africa's strained power grid.

GEA's Project Sales Head Shaun Kleb described energy optimisation as the project's starting point. The company integrated the building, storage layout, and refrigeration system into a single design challenge. The facility processed over 37,000 bins of fruit in its first season, exceeding its planned capacity.