VNG subsidiary acquires biogas facility in Gordemitz, Saxony
BALANCE Erneuerbare Energien GmbH continues its growth strategy
The wholly owned VNG subsidiary BALANCE Erneuerbare Energien GmbH (BALANCE) has acquired a biomethane facility in Gordemitz (a district of Jesewitz) in northern Saxony. The Leipzig-based company has agreed to an immediate takeover with the previous owner, Bioenergie Gordemitz GmbH. The parties have agreed not to disclose the purchase price.
BALANCE plans to complete building on the partially completed project this year and then to start biogas production and upgrading. The company, which specialises in green gases and alternative energies is thus continuing its growth strategy and will in future have a portfolio of 27 biogas facilities. “In our view, this is a project with very good prospects. We are convinced that once completed, this facility will be able to make a key contribution to climate protection and create valuable jobs,” says BALANCE Managing Director Friedrich Nollau. “We are not just investing in facility concepts, we are also developing these further through constant optimisation processes. Regional added value is very close to our hearts.”
At the end of last year, BALANCE increased its portfolio with the acquisition of eleven biogas facilities in various locations in eastern Germany by almost one third. With currently 26 facilities in operation, BALANCE has overall rated thermal input of approximately 95 megawatts and is contributing substantially to achieving the ‘VNG 2030+’ corporate strategy. This means that the Group will achieve significant growth in the field of biogas.
“BALANCE Erneuerbare Energien GmbH is on an ambitious growth path. For VNG, this is associated with a clear commitment to biogas as an energy source as part of our green gas strategy,” explains Hans-Joachim Polk, Member of the Executive Board of VNG AG with responsibility for infrastructure and technology. “Biogas can be used flexibly, can be stored and is able to supply the base load. This unique selling point means we can supplement the growing proportion of renewable fluctuating energies in German power generation on a sustainable basis.”
BALANCE was founded in 2006 and is currently one of the leading biogas plant operators in Germany with 39 plants in northern and eastern Germany. The company, which currently has around 160 employees, supplies people throughout Germany with regionally produced, safe and CO2-neutral energy in the form of biogas, heat and electricity. In addition, BALANCE develops innovative products along its value chain and is committed to giving biogas more prominence in a sustainable energy economy.
With an ambitious growth strategy, BALANCE has quintupled its plant portfolio since 2018 and today generates renewable energy with a firing thermal capacity of over 166 MWFWL. This means that BALANCE mathematically supplies around 51,000 households with renewable electricity and up to 53,000 households with green gas every year. As a wholly owned subsidiary of VNG AG, BALANCE combines the activities of the parent company in the field of renewable energy production. More at www.balance-vng.de.
