Herambiente, INALCA partner to produce biomethane in Italy

Waste management company Herambiente, a subsidiary of Hera Group, and INALCA, a leading meat production and food distribution firm, have joined forces to produce biomethane.

The two companies signed a partnership agreement to set up a new company - BIORG - for the production of biomethane and compost from the sorted waste collection of organic and food waste.

Through an investment of around €28 million, a site owned by Herambiente in Spilamberto, in the Modena area, will be renovated using ‘the best available technologies’.

The biomethane production facility, expected to produce 3.7 million m³ of biomethane annually, will be operational by 2022. The green gas will be injected into the gas network and returned to the local area for automotive use.

After establishing its project in Sant’Agata Bolognese in 2018, the Hera Group is continuing to develop its biomethane supply chain, with the aim of producing more than 15.5 million m³ per year by 2024, more than doubling the current volume.

Each year, around 3,000 tons of fossil oil equivalent will be saved and approximately 7,000 tons of atmospheric CO₂ emissions will be avoided.

“The Hera Group has always been at the forefront in promoting environmental sustainability and the circular economy,” said Andrea Ramonda, CEO of Herambiente,” all our projects go in this direction, while at the same time fostering innovation and the growth of both the company and the areas in which we operate.

“Regarding the development of the biomethane chain in particular, our agreement with a first-class partner such as INALCA represents a further step forward for us after having established the first plant ever built in Italy by a multi-utility to produce biomethane on an industrial scale, the one in Sant’Agata Bolognese.

“Thanks to the know-how gained through this facility, we are always aiming at new initiatives for a circular economy transition, in line with our Strategic Plan up to 2024.”

Luigi Scordamaglia, CEO of INALCA, said: “This agreement consolidates and strengthens INALCA’s integrated and sustainable production model. In fact, the new plant allows the processing waste from our production activities to be fully exploited, confirming INALCA’s zero waste commitment.

“In addition, an effective industrial synergy is achieved, with the production of biomethane and composting in two perfectly complementary plans. For this reason, this agreement with a company with the know-how and state-of-the-art technologies such as Hera proves that only true innovation can generate the competitive sustainability that reduces impact on the environment while at the same time generating higher added value for the entire livestock sector.”