Eiffel Gaz Vert

Eiffel Investment Group, the Banque des Territoires, GRTgaz, Société Générale Assurances and ADEME Investissement announce the launch of the Eiffel Gaz Vert fund, with the support of Elisabeth BORNE, Minister for the Ecological and Solidarity Transition. This fund seeks to play an active role in the development of the French and European renewable gas sector by financing 50 to 100 anaerobic digestion units through minority shareholdings and other capital or quasi-capital contributions. The commitment of each stakeholder is evidenced by that fact that Eiffel Gaz Vert has been pledged more than €115 million since its launch, and is ultimately targeting €200 million. An initial €8 million operation has already been carried out. The European Investment Bank and ProBTP are considering a stake in the fund at a later date.

The Eiffel Gaz Vert fund is designed to ramp up the development of the renewable gas sector by supporting the leaders of these new projects. Often from the agricultural sphere, they need additional financial resources to build their particularly capital-intensive facilities. Gas is now a key component of the energy mix, and its decarbonisation is a major project for the coming years.

Elisabeth Borne, Minister for the Ecological and Solidarity Transition, speaking at the opening of the 21^st colloquium of the Renewable Energies Union, stated:  “France has embarked on a global transition to achieve carbon neutrality by the middle of the century. This transition depends heavily on our ability to transform the energy sector, which currently accounts for three-quarters of our emissions. To decarbonise this sector, we will be mass producing renewable energies, and in particular biogas, which is the recipient of increased State support in the latest version of the Multiannual Energy Programme. The launch of the Eiffel Gaz Vert fund dedicated to the development of biogas is fully in line with this goal. This fund is the result of exemplary cooperation between public and private stakeholders. It can make a direct, tangible contribution to the development of a sector of the future that will help to reduce our country's carbon footprint.” 

With an investment capacity ranging from a few hundred thousand to ten million euros per transaction, this new fund will speed up the sector's expansion by financing 50 to 100 anaerobic digestion units throughout the territory via capital or quasi-capital contributions.

Eiffel Gaz Vert offers project leaders great flexibility. It can be used at all stages of development or operations, and it optimises projects’ capital structure as industrial risk is reduced. This solution is particularly useful for getting through the delicate construction phase of the anaerobic digestion unit before it enters production and long-term financing takes over.

The fund’s minority financing means manufacturers and farmers can retain control over their projects, while allowing them to allocate their capital to more ventures. It thus removes the barriers to biogas sector financing throughout the territory.

The fund was awarded the Greenfin label created by the Ministry of Ecological and Solidarity Transition, which guarantees the “green” quality of investment funds. The label is aimed at financial stakeholders acting in the common good through transparent and sustainable practices.