Acquisition

RNS Number : 9388N

Jlen Environmental Assets Grp

04 February 2021

 

4 February 2021

JLEN Environmental Assets Group Limited

("JLEN" or the "Company")

Acquisition of an electrical exporting food waste anaerobic digestion plant

JLEN, the listed environmental infrastructure fund, is pleased to announce the acquisition of a 100% equity stake in Codford Biogas Limited ("CBL"). CBL holds the rights and operational assets that make up the Codford anaerobic digestion ("AD") plant, a 100,000 tonnes per annum food waste permitted plant based in Wiltshire, UK.

The acquisition is structured as an initial upfront payment, including working capital, of £19.8m with a smaller additional amount in deferred consideration relating to a number of expansion opportunities payable post completion. The precise amount of the deferred element will be determined through a valuation exercise to be undertaken following completion.

The Codford AD plant has been operational since 2014. The plant has a current electrical capacity of 3.8MWe which is generated by processing up to 100,000 tonnes per annum of both liquid and solid food waste from the commercial and industrial sector. This segment of the food waste market has proved resilient during the last 12 months.  As a result of its electricity generation, the plant is able to supply up to 4,000 homes via the UK power grid.  In addition to the core electricity export, the plant is accredited under the Feed-in-Tariff (FiT) and the Renewable Heat Incentive (RHI) schemes.  The plant is an excellent example of an AD operation that is well integrated into modern farming systems. It supplies c. 80,000 tonnes per annum of nutrient rich, PAS110 digestate biofertilizer to the surrounding farms and as a result reduces their use of carbon-intensive synthetic fertilisers by 70-80%. 

This acquisition represents JLEN's second acquisition into food waste fuelled anaerobic digestion, further diversifying the Company's portfolio in the waste and wastewater sector and increasing the total capacity of renewable energy assets in the JLEN investment portfolio to 308.5MW.

The 100% stake in CBL has been acquired from private individuals, who will continue to support the business going forward. It was funded by a draw-down on JLEN's revolving credit facility.

Richard Morse, Chairman of JLEN, said:

"We are pleased with JLEN's latest investment, which is our second food waste processing anaerobic digestion plant and its first fully electrical plant.  The plant plays an important role in converting waste that would otherwise go to landfill into green electricity to power homes.  Specific to the investment, we also value the opportunity to continue to work with some of the founding shareholders in the future years."

For further information, please contact: 

Foresight Group Chris Tanner Chris Holmes	[phone]
Winterflood Investment Trusts  Neil Langford Chris Mills	[phone]
SEC Newgate Elisabeth Cowell Megan Kovach	[phone]
Praxis Fund Services Matt Falla Gemma Woods	[phone]

About JLEN

JLEN's investment policy is to invest in environmental infrastructure projects that have the benefit of long-term, predictable, wholly or partially inflation-linked cash flows supported by long-term contracts or stable regulatory frameworks.

Environmental Infrastructure is defined by the Company as infrastructure projects that utilise natural or waste resources or support more environmentally-friendly approaches to economic activity. This could involve the generation of renewable energy (including solar, wind, hydropower and biomass technologies), the supply and treatment of water, the treatment and processing of waste, and projects that promote energy efficiency.

JLEN's aim is to provide investors with a sustainable progressive dividend per share, paid quarterly and to preserve the capital value of the portfolio over the long term on a real basis. The target dividend for the year to 31 March 2021 is 6.76 pence per share.  The dividend is payable quarterly.

Further details of the Company can be found on its website www.jlen.com

 LEI: 213800JWJN54TFBMBI68

 

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