VNG subsidiary BALANCE Erneuerbare Energien GmbH acquires another biogas facility in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern
The wholly owned VNG subsidiary BALANCE Erneuerbare Energien GmbH (BALANCE), signed a purchase agreement yesterday for the acquisition of the biogas facility in Leizen (Mecklenburg Lake District). The acquisition of the plant, which went into operation in 2012, adds around 6 megawatts rated thermal output to the BALANCE portfolio (MWRTO) to its current 157 MWRTO in total. BALANCE reached an agreement on the transaction with the previous owner and operator, Biogas Müritz GmbH und Co. KG, a wholly owned subsidiary of Städtische Werke AG from Kassel, in June 2021. The parties have agreed not to disclose the purchase price. The acquisition is expected to be finalised during the third quarter of 2021.
“By acquiring the biogas facility in Leizen, we are substantially expanding our facilities portfolio in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania. As such, we are taking another important step on the growth trajectory of BALANCE. With this investment in the future, VNG is once again clearly committed to biogas as a central energy source within the framework of its green gas strategy. With the annual production of the biogas plant in Leizen, almost 2,200 households can be supplied with green gas and just over 2,000 households with green electricity”, reports BALANCE Managing Director Thomas Fritsch.
The biogas facility in Leizen has a combined facility design. This includes biogas processing and feeding it into the network of the supraregional long-distance gas network operator ONTRAS Gastransport GmbH as well as on-site power generation in the combined heat and power plant (CHP) and feed-in to the electricity network of E.DIS AG. The production capacity is 350 standard cubic meters of biomethane per hour (Nm³/h) and an installed CHP capacity of 889 kW electricity. The substrate used is primarily renewable raw materials such as maize silage, which comes from farms in the region. Cooperation with the previous service provider responsible for operational management at the site and its employees will continue. “We see ourselves as a partner of sustainable agriculture and a circular economy. In doing so, it is always important to take into account the regional characteristics of our sites. In biogas production, we are very committed to added value in the region,” Fritsch continues.
“As an environmentally friendly energy source, biogas is not just important for the here and now – to achieve climate targets, biogas will continue to be of central importance and a major pillar for decarbonisation in the future. Not least because biogas is the only renewable energy source that can be used flexibly and for base load. Once it has been processed into biomethane, it can be fed into the public gas network, stored and taken at any time from any location as required”, explains Hans-Joachim Polk, Member of the VNG Executive Board responsible for infrastructure and technology.
BALANCE now has a portfolio of 38 facilities in northern and eastern Germany and an installed total capacity of about 157 MW MWRTO. This enables BALANCE to supply around 50,000 households with renewable electricity and another 49,000 households with green gas every year. BALANCE is therefore one of the leading biogas facility operators in Germany.
BALANCE is one of the leading operators of biogas plants in Germany. The company was founded in 2006 and currently operates 42 biogas facilities in Northern and Eastern Germany with a total rated thermal output of approx.192 MWFTC. BALANCE is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Leipzig-based VNG AG, a Group specialising in gas and gas infrastructure with over 20 companies operating throughout Europe. It supplies approximately 123,000 households with climate-friendly energy. More at www.balance-vng.de.
Pressebilder
Luftbildaufnahme der Biogasanlage in Leizen (Quelle: Städtische Werke AG)
