Gidara appoints PX Group as operator at flagship plant in Amsterdam port

px Group, a leading infrastructure solutions business and operator of several critical UK energy sites, has been appointed operator at GIDARA Energy’s flagship biofuel plant in Amsterdam.
The plant, plans for which were revealed last year by GIDARA Energy and is due to become operational in 2024, is GIDARA Energy’s advanced bio-methanol facility and will convert non-recyclable waste into advanced methanol.
The plant is known as Advanced Methanol Amsterdam (AMA) and is located in the BioPark, an industrial location in the Port of Amsterdam developed especially for producers of renewable fuels.
Advanced Methanol Amsterdam will produce biomethanol that creates significant carbon savings compared to fossil-based fuels. Advanced methanol is a versatile renewable transportation fuel that, amongst others, can be used in the road transport, marine and aviation sectors, helping these sectors to reduce their carbon emissions and become more sustainable.
px Group has previously supported GIDARA Energy in the FEED (Front End Engineering Design) phase of the project. It will ultimately take on the operations and maintenance (O&M) of the AMA plant, proving its capabilities across whole project lifecycles.
Neil Grimley, px Group’s managing director of GIDARA Projects, comments: “I’m looking forward to continuing what is now an extremely close relationship with GIDARA. We’ve already been working with them on the ground in the Netherlands through the FEED stage, and we’ll now be taking on even more responsibility in the coming months.”
Both px Group and GIDARA Energy are backed by Ara Partners, a private equity company that specialises in investing in businesses, technology, and assets that have the ability or potential to cut carbon emissions in the industrial sectors significantly.
Geoff Holmes, CEO of px Group, added: “This partnership between px Group and GIDARA shows some real-world benefits of private equity ownership - Ara’s industry-wide connections, expert knowledge of the market, and commitment to the energy transition have opened so many doors for us. It has only been twelve months since Ara’s investment, and we are already seeing accelerated growth in operations both in the UK and internationally.”
Raf Stout, chief operating officer at GIDARA Energy, added: “I am pleased to announce that px will be our partner to Operate and Maintain our flagship waste to bio-fuel plant in Amsterdam. px Group has a proven track record of Safe and Reliable operations of multiple gas and power facilities and has experience in flawless start-up of new bio-fuels facilities. px has already provided valuable support during the FEED phase, and I look forward to working with them to prepare for the successful start-up and operations of the Advanced Methanol Amsterdam facilitiy. We share the same vision and clear plans to grow sustainable manufacturing to support the energy transition.”