By Mark Segal
October 8, 2026
In a significant move to accelerate the European energy transition, Copenhagen Infrastructure Partners (CIP)—the world’s largest dedicated fund manager within greenfield renewable energy investments—has announced its inaugural investment from its latest specialized vehicle. The firm is backing the Italian biomethane development platform Via Verde, a partnership that signals CIP’s official entry into the burgeoning Italian renewable natural gas (RNG) sector.
This transaction represents the first deployment of capital from CIP’s Advanced Bioenergy Fund II (ABF II), an ambitious financial vehicle launched earlier this year with a target size of €1.5 billion. The fund, which is designed to scale biomethane and advanced bioenergy production across the European continent, has already secured significant institutional backing, including a €200 million commitment from the European Investment Fund (EIF), part of the EIB Group.
The Strategic Importance of Biomethane
As Europe continues its rigorous pursuit of the "Fit for 55" legislative package and broader Net Zero ambitions, the role of biomethane has moved from the periphery to the center of the decarbonization discourse. Unlike wind and solar, which generate electricity, biomethane serves as a direct, carbon-neutral drop-in replacement for fossil-based natural gas.
Biomethane is produced through the anaerobic digestion of organic matter—ranging from agricultural residues and industrial food waste to municipal organic waste. Because it is chemically identical to conventional natural gas, it can be seamlessly injected into existing transmission and distribution networks. This infrastructure compatibility is crucial for decarbonizing "hard-to-abate" sectors, such as heavy industrial manufacturing and long-haul road transport, where electrification remains technologically or economically prohibitive.
Chronology: Building the Foundation for ABF II
The journey to this announcement has been marked by a series of strategic milestones for CIP, reflecting the firm’s increasing conviction in the bioenergy asset class:
- Early 2024–2025: CIP observes a growing gap in the European energy market where policy support for renewable gas is strengthening, but institutional-grade development platforms are lacking scale.
- Early 2026: CIP officially launches the Advanced Bioenergy Fund II (ABF II). This follows the success of its predecessor fund, which raised €2 billion for bioenergy and renewables, proving the commercial viability of the sector.
- Q2 2026: The EIB Group confirms a €200 million commitment to ABF II, underscoring the European Union’s commitment to energy sovereignty and the replacement of imported fossil fuels with domestically produced circular energy.
- October 2026: CIP identifies Via Verde as the optimal partner to penetrate the Italian market, citing its robust development pipeline and local expertise.
The Via Verde Platform: A Snapshot
Via Verde serves as a critical infrastructure platform, consolidating 20 distinct biomethane projects across several high-potential Italian regions, including Lombardy, Abruzzo, and Campania. These regions are major hubs for Italy’s agricultural industry, providing the essential feedstock—agricultural waste—necessary for high-volume biomethane production.
Each plant within the Via Verde portfolio is engineered to process between 60,000 and 100,000 tonnes of agricultural waste annually. This circular model not only produces renewable energy but also addresses the significant environmental challenge of waste management in rural and industrial settings.
Operational Scale and Impact
Once the full portfolio of 20 projects achieves operational status, the platform is projected to generate approximately 1 TWh of biomethane per year. To put this into perspective, 1 TWh of energy is sufficient to cover the annual natural gas consumption of approximately 60,000 Italian households.
By localizing this production, the project directly supports Italy’s "Piano Nazionale Integrato per l’Energia e il Clima" (PNIEC), which aims to reduce reliance on imported natural gas—a dependency that has historically left Italy vulnerable to geopolitical energy shocks.
Official Perspectives: Aligning Capital with Climate Goals
The partnership between CIP and Via Verde is being framed by both parties as a marriage of global financial expertise and local operational depth.
Andreas F. Brandt, Partner at CIP, emphasized the strategic rationale for the investment:
"CIP will leverage its advanced bioenergy expertise to support Via Verde’s experienced local team and substantial project pipeline, laying a strong foundation for long-term growth. We believe biomethane will play a key role in strengthening Italy’s energy independence and supporting its transition to a lower-carbon energy system."
From the perspective of the broader investment community, this move signals that Italy is increasingly viewed as a prime destination for ESG-focused private equity. The shift from volatile, imported gas to stable, locally produced RNG offers a compelling risk-adjusted return profile for institutional investors who are under pressure to demonstrate tangible climate impact in their portfolios.
Implications for the Italian Energy Landscape
The entry of a major player like CIP into the Italian market is expected to have a "catalyst effect" on the industry.
1. Supply Chain Modernization
The scale of the Via Verde platform necessitates the professionalization of the feedstock supply chain. By providing long-term offtake agreements to local farmers, the platform creates a stable revenue stream for the agricultural sector, turning what was once a disposal cost—organic waste—into a valuable commodity.
2. Job Creation and Economic Resilience
Beyond the environmental metrics, the development of 20 industrial-scale plants will create hundreds of jobs in engineering, operations, and logistics across Italy. This aligns with the European Union’s "Just Transition" framework, ensuring that the movement toward green energy also provides sustainable employment in regional areas.
3. Strengthening Energy Security
The current geopolitical climate has placed energy security at the top of the European political agenda. By converting domestic waste into a usable energy source, Italy is effectively insulating itself from the price volatility associated with global fossil fuel markets. This investment serves as a hedge for the Italian economy against future supply chain disruptions.
4. Setting a Precedent for Institutional Capital
The success of ABF II and the specific investment in Via Verde will likely encourage other private equity firms to increase their exposure to the bioenergy sector. As the "low-hanging fruit" of wind and solar become increasingly crowded, investors are looking for sophisticated, infrastructure-heavy projects that offer long-term, inflation-linked returns—characteristics inherent to the biomethane sector.
Conclusion: The Path Ahead
The investment in Via Verde is more than just a financial transaction; it is a blueprint for the future of European industrial decarbonization. By integrating agricultural waste management with high-tech gas production, CIP is demonstrating that the energy transition can be achieved without abandoning the existing infrastructure that powers homes and factories.
As the 20 projects under the Via Verde banner move toward final investment decisions (FID) and construction over the coming months, they will be closely watched by the industry. If successful, they will serve as the benchmark for how private equity can effectively scale the circular economy, providing a replicable model for other nations looking to secure their energy future while meeting stringent climate targets.
For Copenhagen Infrastructure Partners, this is the first of what is expected to be many deployments from the ABF II fund. As the firm continues to identify high-potential assets across Europe, the message to the market is clear: the era of large-scale, industrial-grade biomethane has officially arrived in Italy.
