Fund manager Copenhagen Infrastructure Partners (CIP), through its Advanced Bioenergy Fund I (ABF I), has taken the final investment decision to build and commission a large-scale biogas plant in La Sentiu de Sió (Lleida), set to be one of the largest in Spain. Construction will begin in the second half of this year, with the aim of starting initial operations at the end of 2028.

The Cobirgy plant will be the fifth investment by this bioenergy-focused fund, the third outside Denmark and the first in Spain. Once fully operational, it will achieve an estimated annual biomethane production of more than 230GWh, the highest production of this fuel among all biogas plants currently in Spain.

Soil improvers and organic fertilisers
The new facility will also produce around 150,000 tonnes of soil improvers and organic fertilisers each year. In addition to achieving circularity and preventing waste from ending up in landfill, the plant, which is equipped with cutting-edge technology, will make a significant contribution to reducing greenhouse gas emissions and local nitrate pollution.

Once fully operational, the Cobirgy plant will process up to 500,000 tonnes of feedstock a year in total and, by transforming agricultural and industrial organic waste into biomethane, will help strengthen Spain’s energy independence and green transition.

Collaboration with local farmers
More than 350 local farmers to date have formally joined the project. This figure ensures that more than 80% of the slurry to be processed at the new facility will come from farms located within a 15-kilometre radius.

CIP partner and ABF lead partner Thomas Dalsgaard is enthusiastic about entering Spain’s bioenergy market, and believes this transaction is “an important step for the fund and will contribute significantly to Spain’s energy security and decarbonisation, creating local jobs and driving investment in the agricultural sector and surrounding rural communities”.

^{Photo: Copenhagen Infrastructure Partners}