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The European Investment Bank (EIB) and RGREEN INVEST announce a new step in their partnership with the first investment in the field of anaerobic digestion in France through a € 5 million equity investment in the INFRAGREEN III fund in the company Méthajoule in the Auvergne Rhône Alpes region. When the INFRAGREEN III fund, managed by RGREEN INVEST, was launched, the EIB invested 50 million euros, enabling it to close above its capital raising targets in December 2018, for an amount of 307 million euros. euros. The objective of this fund is to invest in real assets of the energy transition sector and in particular in renewable energies in France and in the European Union, targeting photovoltaic projects, wind farms but also in geothermal energy, biomass , anaerobic digestion, energy efficiency. The financial contribution of the EIB was part of the European Fund for Strategic Investments, also known as the Juncker Plan. INFRAGREEN III and Méthajoule, a specialist in the development and operation of renewable energy production sites, have signed a partnership aimed at bringing methanisation projects located in France (up to € 10 million). The first project presented is an agricultural biogas plant in cogeneration of 500 kW-e / 400 kW-th. The site, currently under construction, is located in the municipality of Sainte-Eulalie, in Cantal and will produce electricity that will be sold to EDF. The thermal energy will be valorised by a heat network of 620 meters long serving a zone of activities. Part of the biogas will also be used in bioGNV to refuel garbage collection trucks in the Pays de Salers community of communes. This partnership should allow the emergence of a major player in the field of methanisation benefiting from a strong anchoring in the territory, the local actors being eventually offered a stake in the capital. Fixed at 5 million euros at first, This investment reflects the desire of INFRAGREEN III and RGREEN INVEST to anchor in the territories and develop the local economy, said Nicolas Rochon, President of RGREEN INVEST. Indeed, the supply of inputs is mainly from farmers in the territory and the average radius of collection and redistribution of the material is less than 15 kms. In addition, this site will serve as a pilot for the implementation of an innovation related to digestate composting. This operation is very important to the EIB, which is the bank of the European Union, says Ambroise Fayolle, Vice President of the EIB. Through the RGREEN INVEST fund, Europe demonstrates that it can help the agricultural sectors, closer to the territories, to develop; In addition, the entry into the methanisation sector marks an important step in the development of our strategy focused on the fight against climate change . Olivier Bouttes, president of Méthajoule, is delighted by this partnership: To promote local resources to produce renewable energy in a logic of circular economy and regional planning, this is our ambition. The signing of this agreement, with financial partners sharing our values, creates the optimal conditions to amplify the deployment of our projects. This allows us to strengthen our position in the development, construction and operation of territorial biogas sites, thus contributing to a promising sector. |
