Renewable energy company Imperative Energy receives planning consent from Solihull Metropolitan Borough Council to build 17.75-MWe biomass CHP plant in Solihull, UK; plant will burn waste wood that is normally sent to landfills, exported to Scandinavia

Allison Oesterle

Allison Oesterle

KILDARE, Ireland , November 11, 2013 (press release) – Manchester based renewable energy company Imperative Energy Ltd today announced that Solihull Metropolitan Borough Council (has granted the company planning consent to build a 17.75MWe biomass fired combined heat and powerplant at Pendigo Way, Solihull. This £70m investment will generate heat and power for a number of local energy users.

Imperative Energy Ltd has over 60 biomass installations across Ireland and the UK and its major shareholder is the Northwest Fund for Energy & Environment, a European Investment Bank (“EIB”) and European Regional development Fund backed fund, managed by 350Investment Partners LLP. Welcoming the decision by the Council, Managing Director Joe O’Carroll outlined the benefits of the project: “In addition to the 140 jobs during the initial 2.5 years construction phase of this landmark, low-carbon energy centre, 25 new and sustainable high skill jobs will be created to operate the plant. Over the life of the plant £420m will be spent on local good and services.”

The project will use c130,000 tonnes of local sourced wastewood which is normally landfilled or exported for energy generation in Scandinavia. An interesting inclusion in the design is a visitors’ centre which the promoters would use to educate people on the biomass supply chain, the installed technology and benefits of bioenergy in the UK’s energy mix.

The Environmental Infrastructure Development Company is a shareholder in IEL and is managing the structuring and project finance aspects of this exciting development.

IEL is working with M+W UK as its chosen Engineering, Procurement, and Construction contractor. Based in Chippenham, M+W UK is part of the M+W Group, an 8,000 employee leading global engineering, design and construction company which celebrated its 100th year in business last year and enjoys an annual turnover of over €2.3 billion.

ENDS

About Imperative Energy
Imperative Energy offers a full turnkey service to customers, from feasibility, design and equipment supply and installation through to full financing, fuel supply, operation and maintenance of plant. This provides customers the option of owning and operating biomass energy plants themselves or of having the plants built on-site for them to benefit from the renewable energy without having the capital expense of owning the plant or the need to operate it themselves. Projects financed by Imperative for customers are called ESCOs and they represent a highly attractive investment class whilst also being a long term provider of sustainable base-load energy.

Imperative’s dedication to excellence was recognised in 2011 as it was awarded the “Best in Bioenergy” title by the Global Cleantech Cluster Association1. In its 2011 financial year Imperative nearly trebled its revenues in a difficult market. Now that the Renewable Heat Incentive has been launched in the UK it is poised to
accelerate this growth further, expanding both the sale of plant and the development of bioenergy projects to provide heat / steam / electricity directly to customers.

About 350 Investment Partners
The North West Fund for Energy & Environmental is managed by 350 Investment Partners. Established in 2006, 350IP also advises the Carbon Trust on its clean energy venture capital investment activities. As a fund manager for The North West Fund, 350IP’s role encompasses identifying appropriate investment opportunities, conducting due diligence, negotiating and
structuring transactions, and monitoring and managing investments until exit.

The North West Fund
The North West Fund is a substantial evergreen investment fund established to provide debt and equity funding (from £50,000 to £2 million) to small and medium sized enterprises based in, or relocating to, the North West of England. The North West Fund addresses an identified gap in the lending, venture capital and private equity markets. It is one of the largest public sector funds of its kind in Europe and the largest in the UK.

The North West Fund is financed by the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) and the European Investment Bank (EIB) under the European Commission's Joint European Resources for Micro to Medium Enterprises Initiative–otherwise known as the JEREMIE programme.

The North West Fund is the umbrella name for the six funds that are available to businesses in the form of debt, equity and quasi-equity. These funds are managed by five fund managers under contract with North West Business Finance Limited (NWBF), which has been established to oversee the delivery of The North West Fund. Initially, £150m has been allocated to the fund managers, as outlined below, with a further £5m to be allocated in due course:


Fund manager

Name of fund

Fund committed

Enterprise Ventures Ltd

Mezzanine

£15m

FW Capital Ltd

Loans Plus

£45m

Enterprise Ventures Ltd

Venture Capital

£30m

Spark Impact Ltd

Biomedical

£25m

CT Investment Partners LLP

Energy & Environmental

£20m

AXM Venture Capital Ltd

Digital & Creative

£15m

Funding to be allocated in due course

£5m



Total

£155m



Each fund manager has a mandate to invest their allocation into the specific product or sector they manage, until 31st December 2015. NWBF is a private, not for profit company, established to oversee the delivery of The North West Fund.

Between December 2010 and August 2013 The North West Fund has invested over £60m in more than 200 businesses. Further funding has also been earmarked to support these businesses as they grow and many more new investments are planned over 2013 and the years ahead to 2015.

For further information please visit www.thenorthwestfund.co.uk

European structure, JEREMIE
The JEREMIE initiative offers EU Member States, through their national or regional Managing Authorities, the opportunity to use part of their European Union (EU) Structural Funds to finance small and medium-sized enterprises by means of equity, loans or guarantees, through a revolving umbrella fund. The initiative was developed by the European Commission and the European Investment Fund, which is part of the European Investment Bank Group.

JEREMIE provides for a range of debt and equity financial tools to obtain the most appropriate allocation of funds according to national, regional or local requirements.

ERDF in the Northwest
ERDF is making a real difference to people and businesses in the North West. With €755 million to invest between 2007 and 2013, ERDF is enhancing the competitiveness of the region’s economy by supporting growth in enterprise and employment.

ERDF in the North West is managed by the Department for Communities and Local Government–for further information visit https://www.gov.uk/browse/business/funding-debt/european-
regional-development-funding.

EIB
The EIB is the European Union’s long- term financing institution and, provides long-term finance for capital projects promoting European economic objectives. The EIB made its first loan in the UK in 1973 and since then has lent around €75bn for investment in the UK economy. In the years from 2004 to 2009, the EIB financed investment in the UK totalling some €23.5bn-GBP 17.5 billi on.

The Environmental Infrastructure Development Company (EIDC)
EIDC is a specialist environmental infrastructure development and investment company established to bridge the knowledge and skills gap between the disparate project developers seeking support and funding and the institutional investors seeking access to this highly attractive sector. Further information can be found at www.eidc.co.uk

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