Nestlé Lanka inaugurates new Rs.1.1bn biomass boiler at Kurunegala factory

From left: Nestlé Lanka Managing Director Bernie Stefan, Industry and Entrepreneurship Development Minister Sunil Handunneththi and Ambassador of Switzerland to Sri Lanka and the Maldives Dr. Siri Walt cut the ribbon to ceremonially inaugurate the new biomass boiler at the Kurunegala factory yesterday  PIC BY KITHSIRI DE MEL 

Continuing its journey of doing good for Sri Lanka, Nestlé Lanka invested in a biomass boiler project at its state-of-the-art factory in Kurunegala. 

he biomass boiler is a key initiative in the ‘Good Food Good Life’ company’s journey towards reaching net zero carbon emissions across the value chain by 2050. 

Nestlé strongly believes in conducting its operations sustainably in a manner which positively impacts not only people but also the planet. This Rs.1.1 billion investment will facilitate the transition from the use of furnace oil to biomass for generating steam in its manufacturing operations. This transition will lead to a 90 percent reduction in carbon emissions generated from the current steam boilers.

Industry and Entrepreneurship Development Minister Sunil Handunneththi inaugurated the new biomass boiler at the Kurunegala factory on February 27, 2025. The inauguration ceremony also witnessed the participation of Ambassador of Switzerland to Sri Lanka and the Maldives Dr. Siri Walt, Central Environmental Authority Chairman Professor Tilak Hewawasam and Ceylon Chamber of Commerce Past Chairman and chamber’s Clean Sri Lanka Initiatives Chair Vish Govindasamy. 

Sharing her thoughts, Guest of Honour, Dr. Walt stated, “Nestlé has a long-standing presence in Sri Lanka of almost 120 years, producing household names like Maggi, Milo and Nestomalt.  But Nestlé is also a sustainability champion with its aim to reach net zero carbon emissions by 2050. The groundbreaking investment into this biomass boiler is a testimony to this. I am delighted to see Nestlé’s investment into innovation and sustainability, a priority for Switzerland and Sri Lanka.”

Professor Hewawasam said, “I commend Nestlé Lanka for investing and driving the transition to cleaner energy in their manufacturing operations, in line with our government’s Clean Sri Lanka initiatives.”

“With a local footprint of over 118 years, we have remained true to our endeavour of positively impacting Sri Lankans, be it with our continuous investments, tastier and healthier choices, contribution towards local communities or our initiatives towards a greener and cleaner Sri Lanka. The biomass boiler is one such investment that will help us reduce the carbon emissions generated in our manufacturing process, supporting our journey of reaching net zero emissions by 2050. I’m delighted to note that this project will also help us reduce the need to import furnace oil, whilst creating an opportunity for locally sourced biomass. We will remain committed to playing a significant role in fuelling Sri Lanka’s economic revival, in line with the government’s Clean Sri Lanka initiatives,” said Nestlé Lanka Managing Director Bernie Stefan. 

Nestlé Lanka has been delighting consumers with much-loved brands such as Nestomalt, Milo, Maggi, Milkmaid for over 118 years. The Kurunegala factory, which was set up in 1984, today celebrates 40 years of operations and produces over 90 percent of the products sold in Sri Lanka. It also manufactures Nestlé’s global requirement of Maggi Coconut Milk Powder, which is now exported to over 60 countries around the world.

Pix by Kithsiri de Mel