Verbio overcomes challenges with good end of year results

Verbio Vereinigte BioEnergie has published its 2017/2018 financial reports. Company CEO Claus Sauter states that the financial year was characterised by market upheavals and changes to political conditions, both of which have had large implications on the sales markets of Verbio’s biodiesel and biomethane segments. Nevertheless, the company has achieved broadly positive results.

Towards the beginning of 2018 new provisions in the German Federal Imission Control Act (the 88th BlmSchV) and the repeal of import duties on biodiesel from Argentina and Indonesia saw many European biofuel and biomethane producers struggle.   

The 38th BImSchV permits the greenhouse gas savings made by using fossil fuel natural gas instead of petrol and diesel to be credited towards meeting greenhouse gas quotas. This means that the operators of CNG filling stations can now also generate additional revenue income from the sale of non-renewable methane. According to the Verbio statement, the result is a widening in the price difference between fossil gas and renewable biomethane. The result has been a drop in the share of biomethane in CNG fuel.

Despite this challenging environment, a total of 722,511 tonnes of biodiesel and bioethanol has been produced by Verbio plants, according to the company’s figures, which is extremely close to the previous year’s level.

Revenues in the biodiesel segment in the financial year 2017/2018 amounted to €456.8 million. The production of biodiesel amounted to 476,211 tonnes, which exceeded the record level of production set in the previous year.

The group has also continued its commitment to biomethane, increasing production by 8.8% to 608 GWh (2016/2017: 559 GWh).

“Biomethane created from waste materials is the most efficient and sustainable biofuel for the future, and the economic alternative to electro mobility. Simple focus on electro mobility does not enable Germany to reach its ambitious objectives for climate protection”, emphasised Sauter.