The electric kitchen at Danfoss facility at Oragadam close to Chennai
| Photo Credit:
BIJOY GHOSH
As the federal government nudges institutional canteens to go electric, a manufacturing facility in Oragadam close to Chennai, which has been operating a totally electric kitchen arrange for 2 years now could be inspiring confidence amongst Tamil Nadu’s companies to take the trail.
Even as chapatis and dosas disappear from industrial canteens resulting from fuel rationing, it’s enterprise as common on the cafteria of Danfoss India, a Danish multinational engineering main that has a big presence within the Oragadam industrial hall.
From dosas, omelletes, chapatis to papads and different deep fried delicacies, the canteen has been serving its staff its common menu all thrice a day.
Video Credit: Businessline
Less Emissions
Two and a half years in the past, as Danfoss was trying to broaden its typical kitchen and mapping carbon emissions, it realised that roughly 4 hundred sq. meters extra kitchen area had been wanted together with extra gasoline. That is when the corporate determined to guage the electric kitchen choice and located that it had a number of advantages together with making good financial sense.
Economic positive aspects
businessline took a stroll via the electric kitchen of Danfoss, which features a deep frying pan, a cooking vary, a tilting brazing pan, and a Tawa for decent dosas, chapatis and omeletes, amongst others. Consuming upto 290 KW of electrical energy in whole, your entire system is absolutely inexperienced, supported by renewable power. The firm has additionally arrange a waste-to-energy plant that converts meals waste into biogas, which powers the kitchen’s scorching water necessities.
Electric kitchen at Danfoss facility at Oragadam close to Chennai
| Photo Credit: BIJOY GHOSH
Ravichandran Purushothaman, President of Danfoss India, says that the kitchen concerned an upfront funding of round ₹1.7 crore and pretty easy coaching regime for the employees, however the payback interval has been lower than 3 years for them. It’s not simply to beat the geopolitical dangers or to go inexperienced, however there’s a logical enterprise case in going electric, he provides.
Ravichandran Purushothaman, President, Danfoss India
| Photo Credit: BIJOY GHOSH
Danfoss estimates their annual value saving by going electric at about ₹35 lakh. Not simply that, it has eliminated 27 tonnes of LPG yearly from operations, and decreased 87 tons per 12 months in carbon emissions. The electric vary cooks 40 per cent quicker, saving over 12,600+ work hours per 12 months, firm estimates present.
During the height cooking hours, working with the set of key electric home equipment, the corporate is ready to serve round 2,000 meals a day and it additionally has the capability to go as much as 4,000 meals per day.
“If you move to electric and if you have an integrated solar power (like Danfoss does), it pays you back even faster. Second, it is also giving you a 30 percent benefit on the real estate space because you don’t need space to keep cylinders,” Purushothaman mentioned. The authorities ought to have a look at providing some quantity of subsidy for industries organising electric kitchens of their campus, he provides.
Interestingly, as fuel scarcity hits company canteens, Danfoss’ kitchen is busy welcoming guests.
“In the last two weeks, we have had about 14 companies [officials] visit to check out our electric kitchen and our supplier too is completely overloaded (with queries),” says Purushothaman. Nobody predicted the battle after we determined to go electric then, however we’re having fun with the advantages of that call right this moment, he provides.
Published on April 6, 2026