# How many kWh per tonne does a shrimp processing plant use, and how does it compare with the FAO figure?

Canonical: https://senseible.earth/answers/bhubaneswar-shrimp-plant-kwh-per-tonne

About 1,520 kWh per tonne on average in Bhubaneswar, TERI found: from 1,100 in a large plant in season to 2,850 in a small one off-season. With diesel, that is about 154 kg of oil equivalent a tonne, against the international 83 kgoe from FAO's 2015 figures that TERI cites.

## Why the same plant swings so much

January to early April is off-season, with output as low as 25% of the yearly average; July to September runs near 160%. Cold stores, chillers and ice machines keep running either way, so kWh per tonne almost triples in a slow month. Average utilisation is only 40 to 60%.

## Typical plants in the cluster

- 600 t a year: 9,50,000 kWh and 20 kL of diesel, about 1,583 kWh a tonne.
- 1,800 t a year: 27,50,000 kWh and 55 kL, about 1,528 kWh a tonne.
- 9,000 t a year: 1,30,00,000 kWh and 200 kL, about 1,444 kWh a tonne.
- DG sets are under 10% of energy.

## What closes the gap

- Repair frosted pipe runs and insulation: 5 to 8% of power, payback under a year.
- Automatic refrigeration controls and fan drives: about Rs 1.0 to 1.2 million, payback 1.5 to 2 years.
- Drives on condenser fans: 20% less speed cuts fan power about half; payback under a year.
- A desuperheater on the ammonia line recovers 12 to 15% of condenser heat as 70 degree water, for about Rs 1.5 to 2.5 million.

## How to benchmark your own plant

1. Monthly kWh from your bills, plus DG diesel.
2. Tonnes packed in the same month.
3. Compare each month with the same month last year, not with the yearly average.

## From kWh to CO2 per tonne (estimate)

- Large plant in season: 1,100 kWh x 0.675 kg = 743 kg CO2
- Cluster average: 1,520 kWh x 0.675 kg = 1,026 kg CO2
- Small plant off-season: 2,850 kWh x 0.675 kg = 1,924 kg CO2
- Gap to the international figure: 154 / 83 = 1.9 times the energy per tonne

kWh per tonne and the 83 kgoe comparison from TERI's Bhubaneswar profile (2015-16). Grid factor CEA FY 2025-26; DG diesel not included in these lines.

## What Senseible does here

Senseible turns monthly bills and diesel invoices into the kWh and CO2 per tonne behind your supplier evidence, so a buyer sees your own figure rather than a regional default.

- [Scope 3 supplier evidence](https://senseible.earth/scope-3-supplier-evidence)
- [Bhubaneswar cluster CO2](https://senseible.earth/answers/bhubaneswar-shrimp-processing-cluster-co2)
- [Kochi seafood freezer energy](https://senseible.earth/answers/kochi-seafood-processors-freezer-energy-carbon)

Sources: [TERI, Cluster profile: Bhubaneswar seafood processing industries (2015-16 data)](https://sameeeksha.org/pdf/clusterprofile/bhubaneshwar-seafood-processing-odisha.pdf), [CEA, CO2 Baseline Database for the Indian Power Sector (grid factor 0.675 kg CO2 per kWh, FY 2025-26)](https://cea.nic.in/cdm-co2-baseline-view?mappingId=234&lang=en)

Last reviewed 2026-10-31.