GEA becomes one-stop shop for world’s largest integrated dairy facility

GEA is playing a major role in the development of a cutting-edge integrated dairy farming and milk powder production facility in the Adrar province of Algeria.

Seen as a key step towards self-sufficiency, the locally manufactured milk powder is expected to satisfy roughly 50% of Algeria’s national milk powder needs. The project will also give local talent access to almost 5,000 new jobs.

At a formal event in Algiers, Baladna, a leading Qatari dairy and food producer, the Algerian Government, and GEA – represented by CEO Stefan Klebert – took part in a contract signing ceremony, enabling the construction of the world’s largest integrated dairy farm and milk powder facility.

GEA will provide a comprehensive range of dairy farming and processing solutions to the project, which is one of the largest single orders for GEA to date.

Milk powder production is planned to commence in late 2027, with gradual scale-up of production volumes over subsequent years.

Algeria is the world’s third largest importer of milk powder. To strengthen future autonomy and food security in dairy products, the Algerian government – via its National Investment Fund – and Baladna Q.P.S.C. from Qatar entered a strategic partnership via the newly formed company subsidiary Baladna Algeria.

The facility will be the largest of its kind, located about 90 kilometres from the provincial capital. Construction will commence at the beginning of 2026, with first milk powder production scheduled to start in late 2027. Production volumes will be gradually expanded. When completed and fully supplied, this facility’s final capacity will amount to approximately 100,000 tonnes of milk powder per year.

“We are proud that Baladna and the Algerian government are entrusting GEA to play a key part in this lighthouse project,” says Stefan Klebert, CEO GEA. “Not only are we building the world’s largest facility of its kind – we are also helping to strengthen regional food security and economic development. This project showcases the attractiveness of our technologies and products, underpinned by our extensive capabilities for large-scale process and plant engineering.”

”This engagement with GEA marks a milestone in the acceleration of the project. We are proud to attract the most prominent national and international expertise and renowned companies from all over the world to contribute to the completion of the project, following the highest international standards,” Mohamed Moutaz Al-Khayyat, chairman of Baladna commented.

GEA’s offer will cover the entire value chain of milk powder production when constructing the facility – from dairy farming to processing and packaging of the final product.

The GEA divisions Liquid & Powder Technologies (LPT) and Farm Technologies (FT) are contractual partners with Baladna Algeria. 

GEA’s broad range of solutions extend from a single source to run the facility’s large milking parlours as well as its milk powder and anhydrous milk fat installations. These include system solutions, such as separators, membrane filtration, heat treatment, as well as evaporation and spray drying plants. Automated packaging and service components are part of the scope, too.