COPENHAGEN, Denmark, Nov. 24, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Copenhagen Infrastructure Partners (CIP) through its CI Advanced Bioenergy Fund I (CI ABF I) has secured two sites (La Sentiu and Linyola) for two large industrial scale biogas plants located in Catalonia, Spain. The La Sentiu project has been appointed a project of strategic importance by the Catalan government which implies that the permit application for the plant will be prioritized by the Catalan government and administration.
CIP will together with Spanish developer, Connect Bioenergy, develop the biogas plants towards expected Final Investment Decision in 2024.
The biogas plants will use green sustainable feedstock (organic waste): Pig manure from local farms, slaughterhouse waste and other industrial organic waste. The plants will produce green gas (biomethane) to be injected into the existing natural gas grid and contribute to circularity, as the organic materials will be recirculated as nutrients (fertilizer) for agricultural production and produce biogen CO2 for industrial use or for Power-to-X projects. The two biogas plants are expected to deliver a total CO2 emissions savings of more than 150,000 tons annually.
The plants will deliver on both the long-term need for energy security and independence and deliver on the decarbonization of hard to abate sectors. Additionally, they will aid local job creation and will be part of the solution to the regional challenge with a surplus of nutrients in the soil and waterways caused by the concentration of agricultural production.
"We continue to see great potential in an efficient conversion of organic waste to green gas and green fuels. We believe that advanced bioenergy plays a key role in the green transition with replacement of fossil natural gas. The status of strategic importance for the La Sentiu project is an important milestone and a testimony of recognition of local support from the Catalan government. We look forward to continuing the good collaboration with our partners and local stakeholders, and to finalise the development of the project which will contribute significantly to the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions and create new local jobs," says Thomas Dalsgaard, Partner at CIP.
The Danish biogas technology provider, Lundsby Biogas A/S, will as minority shareholder take part in the development of the project.
CI ABF I is investing in advanced bioenergy plants in Europe and North America. It enables institutional investors to contribute to the energy transition and participate in the decarbonization of hard to abate sectors through the production of advanced biofuels and biogas. The fund reached second close of ~EUR 500 million in September 2022 and has a target fund size of EUR 1 billion. In addition to the biogas plants in Spain, CI ABF I is currently building a pipeline of advanced bioenergy projects across its target markets in Europe and North America. CI ABF I is classified as an Article 9 "dark green" fund under the EU Sustainable Finance Disclosure Regulation (SFDR).
About Copenhagen Infrastructure Partners
Founded in 2012, CIP today is the world's largest dedicated fund manager within greenfield renewable energy investments and a global leader in offshore wind. The funds managed by CIP focus on investments in offshore- and onshore wind, solar PV, biomass and energy-from-waste, transmission and distribution, reserve capacity and storage, Power-to-X and advanced bioenergy.
CIP manages ten funds and has to date raised approximately EUR 19 billion for investments in energy and associated infrastructure from more than 140 international institutional investors. CIP will accelerate its role in the global energy transition and aims to have EUR 100 billion under management in green energy investments by 2030. CIP has approximately 370 employees and offices in Copenhagen, London, Hamburg, Utrecht, New York, Tokyo, Singapore, Seoul, and Melbourne. For more information, visit www.cip.dk
About Connect Bioenergy
Connect Bioenergy is a project development company in the field of RNG (renewable natural gas). Connect Bioenergy has a mix of strong local presence in the farmer and local community in the Lleida region of Catalonia together with knowledge of the Spanish energy market.
About Lundsby
Lundsby has more than 25 years of experience in the development and delivery of individually designed biogas plants in various sizes and for multiple applications. Lundsby specialize in building high-performance biogas plants with focus on building robust, flexible and reliable plants.
