VORN acquires Italian project developer Alvus

VORN Bioenergy GmbH, a leading project developer and biomethane producer, has acquired the entire share capital of Alvus S.r.l. (Alvus) including its several project participations held via Favus S.r.l..

Alvus is a project developer in the biomethane and biogas sector based in Bolzano, Italy. Launched in 2019, it has successfully developed more than 10 biomethane projects to a considerable status, the capacity of these projects ranges from 500 to 1,000 sm3/h, the equivalent of 5-10 MWth gas and 45-90 GWh per year. Two of its projects have been fully permitted with a single authorisation (“Autorizzazione Unica”).

This acquisition comes at a time when Italy’s National Recovery and Resilience Plan (Piano Nazionale di Ripresa e Resilienza - PNRR) is gaining substantial momentum, promoting and funding the production and utilisation of biomethane. This ambitious plan to facilitate the regions energy transition is expected to increase biomethane production in Italy tenfold by 2026 to approximately 2.3 billion m3/a. This transaction is aligned with VORN’s long-term vision of exploring new growth opportunities across Europe. Alvus brings a team of several highly experienced biomethane specialists; integrated under the VORN Group umbrella the shared capabilities should position the business well in continuing support Italy’s transition to net zero.

Commenting on the acquisition, Alvus’ founder and former principal shareholder Christof Erckert said: “After years of working in partnership with VORN, I am very pleased to hand over the Alvus Group into good hands. With our project pipeline and VORN’s funding capabilities, we are well positioned to jointly realise our growth plans. I look forward to the next phase of our journey we have embarked on together. I am very grateful to VORN for the trust they have placed in the Alvus team.”

Thorsten Holl, CEO of VORN Bioenergy, said: “I am delighted to welcome the highly skilled and experienced team of Alvus to VORN. Joining forces with Alvus marks a significant milestone in VORN’s European expansion strategy by further enhancing our local traction, thus strengthening our position in the growth market of Italy. With a shared vision and our dedication to harnessing the PNRR subsidies, I am confident that we will achieve new heights in the biomethane sector together.”