Copenhagen Infrastructure Partners (CIP), announced the first investment from its new bioenergy fund, with the clean infrastructure investor backing Italian-based biomethane development platform Via Verde.
The investment follows the launch earlier this year by CIP of its Advanced Bioenergy Fund II (ABF II), focused on scaling biomethane and advanced bioenergy production across Europe. The fund launched with a €200 million commitment from the EIB Group’s European Investment Fund (EIF) and a target size of €1.5 billion, roughly twice the size of its predecessor fund.
Biomethane, or renewable natural gas (RNG), is expected to play a critical role in the transition to cleaner energy sources, particularly for sectors in which energy solutions such as wind or solar are less practical. Biomethane is produced from organic waste, such as agricultural, industrial, and household wastes, and is chemically identical to fossil-based natural gas, enabling it to support the decarbonization of hard-to-abate sectors such as road transport and heavy industry, without needing to replace existing transmission and distribution infrastructure.
Via Verde comprises a development pipeline of 20 biomethane projects across multiple regions of Italy, including Lombardy, Abruzzo and Campania. Each plant is expected to process approximately 60,000 to 100,000 tonnes of agricultural waste annually, the company added.
Once all the projects are fully operational, the platform is expected to produce approximately 1 TWh of biomethane annually, equivalent to the annual gas consumption of around 60,000 Italian households.
CIP said that the Via Verde investment, which marks the firm’s entry into the Italian market, will create local jobs and supply domestically produced biomethane to replace imported fossil gas, supporting Italy’s energy independence and decarbonization efforts.
Andreas F. Brandt, Partner at CIP, said:
“CIP will leverage its advanced bioenergy expertise to support Via Verde’s experienced local team and substantial project pipeline, laying a strong foundation for long-term growth. We believe biomethane will play a key role in strengthening Italy’s energy independence and supporting its transition to a lower-carbon energy system.”
