CIP announces major investment in one of Denmark’s first large-scale industrial biogas plants – Bioenergy Insight Magazine

Copenhagen Infrastructure Partners (CIP) has announced it will invest in the expansion of the sustainable bioenergy sector in the Holstebro and Struer municipalities in Denmark by investing in the expansion and upgrade of MEC-Biogas.

MEC-Biogas is one of Denmark’s first large-scale industrial biogas plants that today converts around ~500,000 tons of manure yearly to raw biogas for power and heat production.

CIP expects to increase the total yearly capacity of sustainable biomass to ~800,000 tons, and to develop new business models for the plant, including ~30m Nm³ upgraded biogas to be injected into the gas grid and ~40,000 tons biogenic CO₂ for the PtX industry.

CIP said it believes that bioenergy projects must be locally anchored, both in terms of their position in the local community, and in terms of contributing to the development of the agricultural sector and its routes for future decarbonisation.

As a result of the new investment, CIP said it expects to create growth and additional jobs in the local community with a solid foundation in the local agricultural sector.

”Copenhagen Infrastructure Partners are looking forward to cooperating with existing and new partners in the local community to create a center for Danish bioenergy,” said Andreas F. Brandt, partner at CIP.

“We continue to see a large potential in the efficient conversion of sustainable biomass to green gas and green fuels – and we believe that advanced bioenergy is going to play a vital role in the green transition, and especially in the transportation sector.

“The acquisition and expansion of MEC-biogas with our local partners, Struer Energi and Vestforsyningen, represents an important milestone, and we view it as one of our main projects in the Advanced Bioenergy Fund.

“We are looking forward to realising the project, which will significantly contribute to reducing the greenhouse gas emissions and create local jobs.”

Both Struer Energi and Vestforsyningen said they are happy that CIP is ready to acquire and invest a multimillion amount into developing Maabjerg Energy Centers biogas plant, and especially that CIP views 2^nd generation bioethanol and pyrolysis as a future vital part of a sustainable bioenergy centre.

“We would have loved to be a part of the expansion of renewable energy in this area, however, the regulations on municipality-owned enterprises would constantly have slowed us down,” said Kjeld Graversgård, the chair of the board of Struer Energi.

“An expansion of the biogas plant calls for upgrading the biogas to be able to inject it to the gas grid. There is not a legal basis for us, as a municipality owned enterprise, to expand the plant,” added Pernille Bloch, chair of the board of Vestforsyningen.