BayWa r.e. sells biomethane plant to Evergaz

The plant in Mehrum in Lower Saxony, Germany is already the third biomethane plant that BayWa r.e. is selling to Evergaz Deutschland GmbH, a joint venture comprising the France-based biogas project developer and operator Evergaz and MERIDIAM, an infrastructure investment firm.

In 2015, BayWa r.e. took over the plant, which yields a total biomethane output of some 700 Nm³/h and 600 kW of electricity (CHP), and refurbished it comprehensively. After the sale, the company will remain responsible for the plant operation and for the raw materials management. That will also safeguard the collaboration with agricultural partners and allow it to be maintained in the long term.

“Collaborating with Evergaz and Meridiam once again is to our benefit in two regards,” explains Christian Bracklow, Managing Director at BayWa r.e. Bioenergy GmbH. “On the one hand, the successful sale proves yet again that project-financed biomethane plants are attractive in the long term as high-yielding investments. On the other hand, it testifies to the high quality of our services portfolio and the customer satisfaction we enjoy.”

The plant in Mehrum was commissioned in 2012 and had changed owners several times before BayWa r.e. took it over at the end of 2015. The company initiated further investments in the order of some EUR two million. In the course of the resulting upgrading work, a new fermentation residue storage tank was installed and the gas storage capacities were expanded, among other things. In addition, various quality improvement measures were implemented. On completion of the refurbishment, the fermentation line will yield approximately 70 m kWh of energy per year. Just under 90 percent will be fed into the Avacon gas grid as biomethane. That corresponds to the amount of gas consumed by around 3,000 households.

“After the acquisition of the two biomethane plants in Pessin and Dessau in 2017, and the partnership with Meridiam in 2018, we are pleased to continue our development in Europe” says Frédéric Flipo, Evergaz Managing Director. “With this acquisition, Evergaz demonstrates its desire to pursue its development in Germany which is the most mature biogas market in Europe. To achieve this strategy, Evergaz intends to rely on local key German partners, with recognised know-how, such as BayWa r.e.”

Evergaz is a reference biogas operator in Europe that develops numerous projects, and currently owns and operates ten biogas plants in Germany, France and Belgium.