Biomethane, Arpinge invests 80 million between Basilicata and Sicily

An EUR 80 million investment in project financing for the construction of four plants in Basilicata and Sicily. This is the operation carried out by Arpinge, an investment company owned by three social security funds (Inarcassa, Cassa Geometri, EPPI).

At the centre of the transaction is UniCredit, which structured the financing as Global Coordinator & Bookrunner, Mandated Lead Arranger and Sustainability Coordinator, underwriting EUR 75 million, and Banca Ifigest as Lending Bank for EUR 5 million. UniCredit is also acting as Agent Bank, Custodian Bank as well as Sole Hedging Bank. "We have made a concrete commitment to the transition towards a green and sustainable economy through financial support for investments in the sector," says Roberto Fiorini, Regional manager Central Italy of UniCredit. "This operation in favour of the Arpinge group is proof of our ability to make innovative solutions available to customers that can also have a positive impact on the energy independence of our country.

"With this operation we are entering a sector, that of biomethane, which is assuming a central role in the Italian energy scenario because it contributes to the reduction of emissions and will be able to replace significant quotas of imported fossil gas, thus favouring energy security and strategic autonomy," explains Massimo Pecorari, CEO of Banca Ifigest. "Supporting the Arpinge Group means accompanying the growth of a key sector that needs significant structural investments and continuous technological innovation.

In detail, with the project financing operation finalised a few days ago, Arpinge will realise 4 biomethane plants fuelled by agricultural by-products and zootechnical products with a capacity of 500 Sm3/h each, of which one plant located in Basilicata (in the province of Potenza) and the other 3 in Sicily, in the provinces of Catania and Messina. The plants, which are currently under construction, will produce over 16 million cubic metres of biomethane once they are fully operational, thus avoiding atmospheric emissions of over 75 thousand tonnes of CO2 equivalent per year and contributing to supporting the strong demand for green fuel in Southern Italy. "We are very pleased with UniCredit's support for the operation, a tangible act of trust in our company that we hope will consolidate into a lasting partnership," says Arpinge's CEO Federico Merola. "It was UniCredit that financed the group's first operation, anticipating the broad support that Arpinge later garnered on national and international financial markets.

 Arpinge, meanwhile, continues its authorisation development activities in the biomethane sector with the aim of becoming a market leader. For more than a year now, the Arpinge Group has significantly expanded its investment scope to areas such as BESS and biomethane. The objective of the Group, which is also active in social infrastructures, is to add these new sectors to those already covered by renewable energy (through its subsidiary Aeer) and urban mobility (through its subsidiary Parkinge) through internal and external growth.