In Latvia, ASNS Ingredient, a joint venture owned by LATRAPS, the largest agricultural cooperative in the Baltics, and the Pfeifer & Langen Group, one of Europe’s leading food producers specializing in sugar and related products, is building a pea protein plant in Jelgava. The new plant will be powered by renewable steam supplied by Nordic energy-as-a-service (EaaS) provider Adven Group.
For Adven, this marks its first industrial project in Latvia and the largest the company has undertaken in the Baltics.
The new pea protein plant itself represents a total investment of EUR 130 million, making it the largest private industrial investment in Latvia in over a decade.
Circular bioeconomy
Located on a 10-hectare site in Jelgava, the new ASNS Ingredient plant will process up to 70,000 tonnes of yellow peas annually, sourced mainly from Latvian farmers.
From these crops, the plant will produce high-value ingredients such as pea protein isolates and concentrates, starches, dietary fibers, and feed proteins.
The ingredients will serve a wide range of applications, from protein snacks, sports nutrition, beverages, baby food, gluten-free products, and meat alternatives to non-food uses such as bioplastics, paper, and biopolymers.
The plant will secure long-term demand for locally grown peas, create new jobs in the Zemgale region, expand Latvia’s export capacity, and contribute to European food self-sufficiency and the development of a circular bioeconomy, as locally grown, sustainable plant-based ingredients will be more widely available.
Our project is a great example of how we can utilize local know-how and resources, building something global. By tapping into the global healthy lifestyle boom and rising demand for plant-based products, our project positions Latvia as an important player in Europe’s modern food economy. I am very pleased that Adven is a part of that journey and provides the key critical energy infrastructure for us to be able to concentrate on our core business and stakeholder interaction, commented Edgars Ruža, CEO of ASNS Ingredient.
Long-term EaaS contract
To support the plant’s operations, Adven is building a renewable steam production facility on site that will deliver over 130 GWh of steam annually, powered by local renewable fuels.
Through the Energy as a Service (EaaS) partnership model, ASNS Ingredient will purchase the energy it needs from Adven, while Adven executes the investment and ensures a reliable, sustainable supply throughout the long-term contract.
This partnership not only enables the Jelgava project but also demonstrates how industrial-scale renewable energy solutions can unlock further investment and strengthen Latvia’s attractiveness on the international stage.
Adven has been building this partnership since 2019. It truly encompasses Adven’s long-term commitment to helping our customers since day one, even though the project wouldn´t see daylight right away. We are proud of being part of this very significant investment and supporting industrial growth in Latvia, said Kristaps Greidāns, Director of Market Development at Adven.
The commissioning of the site is expected to begin gradually during the second half of 2026, with full capacity reached in 2027.
