EnviTec Biogas wins contracts totalling EUR 18 million from Italian customers

Italian biogas market taking off

Lohne, 17 December 2009 – “The Italian biogas market is taking off,” says a highly pleased Roel Slotman, member of the Executive Board of EnviTec Biogas AG. “In the past weeks we have signed contracts totalling EUR 18 million with Italian customers.” The market recovery is due to the fact that the feed-in compensation for electricity from biogas was increased to 28 cents per kilowatt hour for a period of 15 years. Being the European industry leader, EnviTec Biogas (ISIN: DE000A0MVLS8) benefits particularly from the sharply rising demand. The Lohne/Germany-based company currently operates one branch in Italy, in Romano di Lombardia near Milan, where 14 people are employed. In January 2010, the branch will relocate to Sommacampagna near Verona.

The single most important contract won by EnviTec has been awarded by Energy Renew, a company specialising in energy production from renewable sources, for which EnviTec will build two biogas plants with a rated electrical output of 1 MW (MWel) each near Bologna. The plant will be operated with energy maize and will feed all of the electricity it generates into the public grid. To reduce the plant’s operating costs, “EnviTec Feedcontrol" will be installed. The system not only controls the supply of the input materials but also ensures high operating safety and process stability through online process control.

Next year EnviTec will start construction of another six biogas plants on the other side of the Alps. The company from Lower-Saxony will build a 1 MWel plant for an investor from Genoa in the Novara region. Apart from renewable resources, liquid pig manure, dried chicken faeces and baking residues from the food production sector will be used to generate energy in an environmentally friendly process. In Latina near Rome, several companies have ordered a co-op plant. It has an output of 1MWel and will run on liquid cattle manure, whole crop silage and maize silage. Another 1 MWel plant running on whole crop silage, vegetable residues and liquid cattle manure will be built in the Southern Italian town of Foggia. Moreover, EnviTec will realise an additional four projects for farmers – one 1 MWel biogas plant in the Apulia region as well as three smaller plants near Verona (526 kWel), near Udinese (330 kWel) and Portogruaro (526 kWel).

EnviTec Biogas sees excellent growth opportunities in Italy. “The boom has only just begun,” says Roel Slotman, Board member in charge of international operations. The Berlusconi administration aims to increase the share of renewable energy in the total electricity consumption from 17 to 25 percent by the year 2020. At present, just under 200 biogas plants are on line in Italy, compared to over 4,000 in Germany. This comparison clearly shows that there is still huge potential in the Italian biogas market.

EnviTec Biogas AG covers the entire value chain for the production of biogas - including the planning and turnkey construction of biogas plants as well as their commissioning. The company provides the biological and technical service and also offers the full plant and operating management. In Güstrow, in the German state of Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania, EnviTec built the world’s largest plant for the production of biogas to natural gas standards with a thermal output of 55 megawatts. In addition, the company also operates its own biogas plants. Today, the company is represented in more than 15 countries throughout Europe and as well in China and South Korea. In 2008 EnviTec generated revenues of EUR 101 million and EBIT of EUR 3.2 million. The EnviTec Group currently has about 396 employees. Since July 2007 EnviTec is listed on the Prime Standard segment of the Frankfurt Stock Exchange.

Investor Relations:
Olaf Brandes
EnviTec Biogas AG
Tel: +49 44 42 80 65-118
E-Mail: ir@envitec-biogas.de

Press contact:
Fabian Lorenz, Christina Siebels
HOSCHKE & CONSORTEN Public Relations GmbH
Tel: +49 40 36 90 50- 56 /-58
E-Mail: f.lorenz@hoschke.de; c.siebels@hoschke.de

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