The European Investment Fund (EIF), part of the EIB Group, has committed EUR 200 million to Copenhagen Infrastructure Partners P/S (CIP) Advanced Bioenergy Fund II (ABF II), which focuses on scaling biomethane and advanced bioenergy production across Europe to help advance the energy transition and energy security.
Copenhagen Infrastructure Partners is one of the world’s largest fund managers dedicated to clean energy infrastructure. ABF II will invest primarily in the development, construction, and operation of new industrial-scale biogas plants using anaerobic digestion (AD) technology.
The projects will convert feedstocks such as manure and other agricultural waste into biomethane that can help decarbonise sectors such as industry and maritime transport.
The strategy focuses mainly on greenfield projects in countries including Denmark, Ireland, Spain, Belgium, and Finland.
This investment reflects Europe’s growing focus on renewable gases and sustainable energy infrastructure. By supporting the development of new biogas projects across Europe, we are helping increase domestic renewable energy production, strengthen energy security, and accelerate the green transition, said EIF Deputy Chief Executive Merete Clausen.
Leveraging on ABF I’s success
Building on the success of the first Advanced Bioenergy Fund (ABF I), the launch of ABF II marks the next phase in scaling biogas and biomethane infrastructure across Europe, reflecting growing investor support for advanced bioenergy as a key enabler of Europe’s energy transition, energy security, and decarbonisation goals.
With a target size of EUR 1.5 billion, ABF II is expected to make a significant contribution to Europe’s renewable energy production and support the transition away from imported fossil fuels.
The fund has successfully brought together a broad mix of public and private capital, reflecting strong demand from institutional investors, and contributing to the EU policy objective of building up a more robust and integrated capital market in the EU.
Differentiated project pipeline
The fund will benefit from a differentiated pipeline of new bioenergy projects that are ready to be developed, giving clear visibility on how and when capital will be invested and projects delivered.
Biomethane, aka renewable natural gas (RNG), is fully compatible with existing gas infrastructure and is expected to play an important role in improving Europe’s energy security and strategic autonomy.
ABF II will invest in core European markets supported by strong regulatory frameworks at both the EU and national levels, ensuring stable, long-term growth.
We are very pleased to close the investment of EUR 200 million with EIF. It is an important step for the Advanced Bioenergy Fund II on its path towards the EUR 1.5 billion target, and we very much look forward to the partnership with EIF. We see strong market demand for the production of domestic biomethane across Europe, and with the Advanced Bioenergy Fund II, and the existing portfolio of greenfield bioenergy projects, CIP is well positioned to deliver, said Thomas Dalsgaard, Partner in CIP and Head of the Advanced Bioenergy team.
Copenhagen Infrastructure Partners, a global leader in its sector, has raised more than EUR 37 billion and has projects in more than 30 countries worldwide.
The EIF investment is backed by the European Union’s InvestEU and REPowerEU initiatives, supporting efforts to increase renewable energy production in Europe and reduce dependence on imported fossil fuels.
