DGAP-News: VERBIO Vereinigte BioEnergie AG: sees great growth potential in biogas. High level of investments planned until 2015.


DGAP-News: VERBIO Vereinigte BioEnergie AG / Key word(s):
Miscellaneous
VERBIO Vereinigte BioEnergie AG: sees great growth potential in
biogas. High level of investments planned until 2015.

05.10.2011 / 07:32

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Zörbig/Leipzig, October 5th, 2011 - VERBIO is making significant progress,
not only in the production of biogas but also in biogas marketing. Almost
every week, new customers are gained and queries received from local
authorities and companies interested in changing their existing natural gas
fuelling stations to verbiogas. The decisive factors in their decision to
use verbiogas are the similarity between verbiogas and natural gas prices,
the sustainable production and environmental friendliness of verbiogas,
which have been verified with corresponding certifications. In addition to
the production of biogas, biogas marketing in the transport sector has
become one of VERBIO's targets due to the constantly increasing demand.

In addition to the expansion of the existing biogas plants in Schwedt to 80
MW and Zörbig to 50 MW, there are also concrete plans to create an
additional biogas factory with a capacity of 25 MW in Hungary. The first
few members of staff have already been appointed for the project in
Hungary, raw materials have been contractually secured and various official
processes have been implemented. The verbiogas produced at the location in
Pápa is to be conditioned at natural gas quality and fed into the local
natural gas grid. Overall, the Hungarian project involves investments of
approx. EUR 40 million. In addition, plants of 25 MW each in both Eastern
Germany and Bulgaria are to be developed.

The only raw materials used for the new projects will be crop straw,
slurry, manure and chicken droppings. Overall, growth potential for the
production of biogas from residual materials is particularly formidable in
Eastern Europe, as there are barely any alternatives for the use of
residual materials here. Without additional use of space and without
displacement effects, it will therefore be possible to significantly
increase our bio energy production and make a significant contribution to
the energy turnaround in Europe.

'I anticipate investments in the mid single-figure billion range for new,
industrial biogas factories in Eastern Europe by 2015. These investments
would not be used to build small factories like those in Germany, but
cost-efficient and modern large factories - we are looking into this. In
Germany, it may also be the case that biogas produced from residual
materials could replace nuclear power, which would not be an utopia, but
simply the best ecological and economic alternative.' explains Claus
Sauter, CEO of VERBIO AG.

To finance the current and future biogas projects, VERBIO is considering,
among other things, the option of negotiating a bond loan, whereby a
prerequisite would be that the financial markets signal their willingness
to issue corporate bonds in the coming months.

About VERBIO Vereinigte BioEnergie AG (VERBIO)
VERBIO is one of the leading independent producers and suppliers of
biofuels and also the only industrial-scale producer of biodiesel,
bioethanol and biogas in Europe. Nominal capacity currently amounts to
around 450,000 tons of biodiesel, 300,000 tons of bioethanol and 500
gigawatt hours of biogas per year. In the production of its highly
efficient fuels, the company uses its own energy-saving production
processes and innovative technologies. The biofuels produced by VERBIO
achieve CO2 reductions of up to 90% compared with petrol and diesel. VERBIO
supplies its products directly to European mineral oil corporations,
mineral oil traders, independent petrol stations, haulage companies, public
utilities and vehicle fleets. VERBIO AG also markets high-quality pharma
glycerine for the consumer goods and cosmetic industries (glycerine is a
by-product of biodiesel production). VERBIO Vereinigte BioEnergie AG acts
as the management holding company within the Group. The Group's operating
business is run by its subsidiaries VERBIO Diesel Bitterfeld GmbH & Co. KG,
VERBIO Diesel Schwedt GmbH & Co. KG, VERBIO Ethanol Schwedt GmbH & Co. KG,
VERBIO Ethanol Zörbig GmbH & Co. KG and Märka GmbH. VERBIO shares (ISIN
DE000A0JL9W6 / WKN A0JL9W) have been listed on the Prime Standard of the
Frankfurt Stock Exchange since October 2006.

Important note
This corporate news contains forward-looking statements, which are based on
assumptions and estimates of the company management of VERBIO Vereinigte
BioEnergie AG. Even though the company management believes that these
assumptions and estimates are correct, the actual future development and
actual future results can deviate substantially from these assumptions and
estimates due to many factors. For example, these factors can include
alteration of the economic situation, legal and regulatory constraints in
Germany and the EU, and changes in the industry. VERBIO assumes no
liability and provides no warranty that future developments and actual
future results will agree with the assumptions and estimates expressed in
this corporate news.


End of Corporate News

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05.10.2011 Dissemination of a Corporate News, transmitted by DGAP - a
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Language:    English                                                
Company:     VERBIO Vereinigte BioEnergie AG                        
             Augustusplatz 9                                        
             04109 Leipzig                                          
             Germany                                                
Phone:       +49 (0)341 30 85 30 90                                 
Fax:         +49 (0)341 30 85 30 98                                 
E-mail:      ir@verbio.de                                           
Internet:    www.verbio.de                                          
ISIN:        DE000A0JL9W6                                           
WKN:         A0JL9W                                                 
Listed:      Regulierter Markt in Frankfurt (Prime Standard);       
             Freiverkehr in Berlin, Düsseldorf, München, Stuttgart  
 
 
End of News    DGAP News-Service  
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