The new facility will be the first large-scale production plant for Bovaer. Bovaer is DSM’s innovative feed additive to reduce intestinal methane emissions from cattle by approximately 30% in dairy cows and 45% on average for beef cattle. With this innovation, farmers can significantly reduce their greenhouse gas emissions, and thereby make a positive contribution in the fight against climate change.

DSM first collaborated with BakerHicks on the initial concept stage, which began in 2021. It was appointed principal designer in 2021, responsible for developing and coordinating the concept and basic design.

BakerHicks will now take the project through the detailed engineering, procurement and construction phases, up to handover and commissioning, which is expected to take place in 2025. They have provided multi-disciplinary design and engineering services throughout, including process and mechanical; piping; electrical, control and instrumentation; architecture; civil and structural; building services; HSE; project and construction management; and procurement.

The BakerHicks team, a collaboration of local expertise from their UK offices and specialist process knowledge from their Swiss operations, have worked closely with DSM throughout. This included producing a fully integrated, intelligent model to accommodate the complex process technology into the Building Information Management (BIM) model.

DSM broke ground in November 2022, and construction on site has since commenced. BakerHicks is currently finalising the detailed design for the project, supporting the procurement phase and will soon appoint construction contractors and equipment vendors, with an emphasis on local specialists and suppliers to further ensure sustainable working practices.

Mark Dickson, managing director for life sciences and industry at BakerHicks, said: “We are proud to be DSM’s partner of choice for taking this game-changing product to market. Our approach is centred on having the right people on the ground where our clients are, allowing us to truly understand the project and the client’s needs.

“This project is a great example of the seamless integration of the local expertise of our UK offices combined with the process engineering knowledge of our Swiss teams to deliver a first-of-a-kind DSM facility for Bovaer. We are excited to see the design come to life now as we work through the construction phase to handover.”

Rob de Hooge at DSM added: “We are excited to move to the next phase of the development of our new feed additive facility for Bovaer®, a game-changer to reduce enteric methane emissions from cattle. We appreciate the support BakerHicks has delivered over the last few years and are happy to appoint them also for the EPCM phase. We wish the team every success in the delivery of this plant, and to do so safely and on time.”

The development of the Bovaer plant at DSM’s Dalry site has been supported by the Scottish Government through Scottish Enterprise, the national agency supporting economic development and innovation, and former First Minister Nicola Sturgeon, attended the site’s groundbreaking ceremony on 30th November 2022.