Enerkem, the Canada-based biofuel producer backed by waste services provider Waste Management, raised C$152.6m ($115m) in debt and equity financing on Wednesday, with the equity coming from its existing investors.
Founded in 2000, Enerkem converts waste into biofuel and renewable chemicals. It will use the capital to expand a facility it owns in Edmonton, Canada that produces biomethanol from non-recyclable household garbage.
The financing consisted of $37.7m of equity, invested by Enerkem’s existing backers in the form of a private placement, $55.5m of debt from two unnamed lenders that was secured over the past year, and a $21.9m debt facility provided by asset manager Integrated Asset Management.
The capital took Enerkem’s total financing to more than $300m since 2009. Its backers include petroleum producer Valero Energy, ATEL Ventures, which is the corporate venturing unit for leasing and financing firm ATEL, Rho Ventures, Braemar Energy Ventures, The Westly Group, Cycle Capital, Fonds de solidarité FTQ, Fondaction, BDR Capital, EB Investments and Quince Associates.
US-based Waste Management’s Canadian affiliate, Waste Management of Canada, took part in a $53.8m round for Enerkem in 2010, returning for a $60m round the following year that also included Valero. Valero was not however among the investors in a $47.6m round in 2013.
Vincent Chornet, president and CEO of Enerkem, said: “We are about to fundamentally transform the waste industry over the coming years and allow energy and chemical groups access to a new and competitive source of renewable carbon.”
– Photo of Enerkem Alberta Biofuels facility courtesy of Enerkem Inc.