Dairy ingredients manufacturer ProviCo has invested $20m to revive and expand its Dennington lactoferrin factory in south-west Victoria. The company plans to invest $3.8m in a solar farm to help drive down soaring energy costs. The solar farm near the factory’s waste water processing facility is expected to generate enough electricity to run the new lactoferrin plant or about a quarter of the whole factory’s energy needs. ProviCo’s chief executive officer Ben Anderson said energy costs have almost tripled over the past 12 months, driven by rising gas prices.

ProviCo’s Dennington factory produces lactoferrin used as an ingredient in products such as infant formula, bionutritionals and sports nutrition products.