A deal has been struck to give one of Europe’s biggest biogas developers an entry into the UK market.
The boards of Agri.capital S.a.r.l. and BioWatt Developments Ltd have completed a mutual cooperation framework agreement that provides Agri.capital with a stream of investment potential and the opportunity to represent the companies’ interests in the anaerobic digestion and biogas fields.
BioWatt has generated a substantial pipeline of prospects in the renewable energy sector and now, with access to funding from its new partner and others institutions, said it is able to make a significant contribution to the development of new projects.
The core business of BioWatt is to source, create, develop, operate and manage low-risk biogas projects. Agri.capital initially wants to secure a 50MW capacity in the UK through majority ownership of such projects. In addition, BioWatt will offer long-term facilities management of its own and third party projects where required.
Michael Roberts, BioWatt’s chairman, said: “Agri.capital has the experience and expertise to become a dominant force in this sector in a similar way to its successes in mainland Europe. A number of projects are currently in the process of final evaluation by Agri.capital and BioWatt is actively seeking new opportunities where it can add further value.”
Anton Daubner, CEO of Agri.capital, added: “We believe biogas and biomethane will be critical to Europe reaching its renewable energy and greenhouse gas reduction targets for 2020 and beyond. We have built a substantial business in the EU, principally in Germany, and we are very pleased to be able to partner with BioWatt as our first step into becoming a significant player in the UK market.”
With its plant portfolio, Agri.capital ranks among the biggest biogas-based energy providers in Europe. Along with the generation of electricity and heat from biogas, the company’s business areas also include production of biomethane (bio-natural gas) to feed into the natural gas grid.
With its head office in Münster, Agri.capital GmbH is responsible for the operational business in Germany. It is owned by Agri.capital Luxembourg S.à.r.l. which is the holding company of the corporate group and its subsidiaries.
