This is the first investment in a biomethane production portfolio by the Tages Helios Net Zero fund, which, with the recent closing, has reached €375 million, mainly from institutional investors.
Specifically, the portfolio includes four operational plants located near Pavia and Cremona, in the municipalities of Genivolta, Tromello, and Dorno, with a total capacity of approximately 4 MW. Each plant has a potential production capacity of around 300 Smc/h of biomethane, and once fully operational, the portfolio will be able to produce over 2 million Smc of biomethane annually.
The biomethane will be produced by processing livestock effluents and agricultural by-products not intended for human consumption, including pig, cattle, and poultry manure, as well as triticale, wheat bran, grains, and silage provided by farms in the immediate vicinity of the plants, ensuring an 'almost zero-kilometer' supply chain. The anaerobic digestion of these agricultural and livestock by-products will yield digestate, which can be used as a natural fertilizer.
Umberto Quadrino, Chairman of Tages S.p.A. and CIO of Tages Capital SGR, commented: "Unlike other renewable sources such as solar and wind, whose energy production is intermittent due to natural factors, biomethane can have various applications, including electricity generation, making it a programmable renewable source.
"This means that the availability of this energy source can be controlled and adjusted as needed. Additionally, it is a particularly flexible resource, as the energy produced can be injected into the same grid as natural gas. Given these factors, we intend to continue with this series of investments to achieve an industrial-scale portfolio, in line with the strategy of our Tages Helios Net Zero fund."
Tages Capital SGR is a key player in the renewable energy market recognized by the financial community (Tages Helios Net Zero has attracted institutional investors and private banking networks thanks to its attractive risk-return profile and generally semi-annual distributions) and aims to play an active role in the concrete realization of the energy transition.
Prior to this acquisition, which will start biomethane production, the company invested in iPlanet – a joint venture created to bring ultra-fast electric charging stations to over 500 service areas throughout Italy – and has other initiatives in the pipeline currently being finalized.
