JLEN makes second investment in AD sector

John Laing Environmental Assets Group (JLEN) has invested in the Icknield Farm anaerobic digestion plant in the UK.

According to JLEN, a listed environmental infrastructure fund, the investment consists of the provision of a debt facility to repay existing loans, as well as acquisition of a minority equity stake from private individuals who were the project’s developers for an aggregate amount of approximately £11 million (€12.5 million).

Located in Ipsden, South Oxfordshire, the Icknield Farm plant was commissioned in 2014. It has a capacity of 5mW, producing biomethane that is exported to the national gas grid.

The Icknield Farm investment is JLEN’s second in the anaerobic digestion (AD) sector, following its recent acquisition of the Vulcan AD plant. According to a statement, the company is looking to grow its portfolio of AD assets and further diversify its portfolio of environmental infrastructure projects.

“We are pleased to make a further investment in the anaerobic digestion sector through the Icknield Farm AD plant, which has a proven operational history,” said JLEN chairman Richard Morse. “The AD sector is attractive to JLEN due to the high proportion of inflation-linked revenues backed by government subsidy regimes, and we look forward to working with our partners in the sector.”