Loughrea-based Glanua, a leading engineering company, last night (Wednesday ) announced that it has acquired UK-based Marches Biogas, an engineering and services firm that specialises in anaerobic digestion and biogas production.
Glanua is an industry leader in the municipal and industrial sectors in providing innovative and sustainable engineering solutions to design, build and deliver critical water, wastewater and energy infrastructure across Ireland and the UK.
The financial details of the sale remain undisclosed, but the acquisition marks another significant step forward in Glanua’s ambitious growth plan.
It now positions the Galway-headquartered company as a specialist in the design, construction, and operation of anaerobic digestion and biogas plants, significantly enhancing Glanua’s expertise, broadening its customer base, and expanding its capabilities and services into the bioresource sector by transforming wastewater and biomass sludge into a valuable energy resource.
Anaerobic Digestion (AD ) is a sustainable, low-carbon technology complementing both the wastewater and bioresource sectors. Maximising the benefits of AD is increasingly important to businesses with biomass treatment requirements because it efficiently reduces organic waste, lowers energy costs, and generates renewable biogas, aligning with sustainability and cost-saving goals.
Founded in 2009, Shropshire-based Marches Biogas was acquired by its management and employees in 2020. The company recorded sales of £6million in 2023 and employs 27 people. Its acquisition means Glanua’s workforce has now increased to over 600
The purchase is the second acquisition to be completed by Glanua in the last six months. The company acquired UK-based Aqua Operations in August of last year in a move that increased its presence in the UK’s water and wastewater industry. Of the Group’s 600 employees, 130 are now UK-based.
Anaerobic digestion (AD ) plants produce biogas from organic feedstocks such as sludge from wastewater treatment plants, food waste, animal slurry and manures as well as waste and by-products from agro-industries.
Marches Biogas has extensive experience in the design, construction, installation, training, operation and maintenance of AD (and biogas ) plants. It has built over 30 AD plants ranging from 50kWe to large-scale facilities utilising feedstocks including energy crops, farm slurries, food and industrial wastes.
The company works on biomass treatment projects across the UK and internationally in the municipal and industrial sectors. It provides tailored advice, training and maintenance packages for plants it has constructed and those built by third parties.
There are over 550 AD plants in the UK with many in existence for over 10 years. Glanua believes this represents an opportunity for upgrade as well as modernisation works to intensify the existing digestion process through innovative technology which will maximise resource recovery.
The acquisition comes after Glanua recently announced it had received significant funding from Rabobank to support its continuing expansion. It also follows a period of growth for Glanua in the past 18 months following the rebranding of the company to Glanua in July 2023.
Total revenue in Glanua amounted to €97m in 2022 and increased to €150 million in 2023. The Group’s long-term strategic plan is to grow turnover to €400 million by 2028.
The Group is undergoing significant expansion and recently opened four new offices across Ireland and the UK in Belfast, Cork, Reading and London. Glanua’s clients include Uisce Éireann, Thames Water, Yorkshire Water, Northern Ireland Water, Kerry Group, Glanbia and ABP.
Karl Zimmerer, Group Managing Director of Glanua, look forwards to integrating the business into the expanding Glanua Group.
"Marches Biogas is a leader in anaerobic digestion and biogas technologies and has a strong reputation as a provider of high-quality and innovative engineering solutions. This acquisition strengthens our position in the UK and aligns with our growth strategy and our sustainability goals. It expands our capabilities, broadens our customer base, and enables us to better serve industrial clients who increasingly require anaerobic digestion solutions, while also opening the door to new opportunities in the municipal market.
"This acquisition highlights our commitment to advancing the circular economy by transforming organic waste into renewable energy through anaerobic digestion technologies. It also enhances our ability to support clients in achieving sustainability goals with better waste management and energy recovery solutions."
Keith Knight, Director at Marches Biogas said: “We are pleased to be joining Glanua and excited about the opportunity of working alongside our new colleagues in an expanding and ambitious company. Marches Biogas has a long history of providing excellent anaerobic digestion and biogas engineering technologies and services and we look forward to both continuing to serve our existing clients and growing our client base within the Glanua Group. There are increasing opportunities in our field of expertise, and we are now well-positioned to work closely with our clients to help them achieve their sustainability goals.”
