Investors interested in Haase Energietechnik
Spokesperson Ursula Packhäuser tells Renewables International that at least a dozen investors have shown interest in the biomethane specialist, which filed for bankruptcy at the beginning of February.
The company says that one reason for bankruptcy is the "postponement of projects for which contracts have already been signed." When it announced the bankruptcy filing, the firm added that "new projects are therefore only expected in the second half of 2012 and in 2013." At the same time, Haase says that the refinement technology for the production of biomethane from biogas is eligible for higher feed-in tariffs in Germany this year than last year.
In other words, clients may have intentionally postponement projects until 2012 in order to get the better feed-in tariffs – a common occurrence when policies are changed. If so, Haase is yet another example of how hard it is for companies to plan their midterm financing when the policy environment keeps changing.
But Haase's financial position was tight to begin with. Another reason for the bankruptcy was financial burdens dating back to before 2009, as the firm explained in a press release on the insolvency proceedings. While the company did not provide any specific figures, it did say that "the financial burdens were not caused by the current Haase Energietechnik AG & Co. KG." A few years ago, the company made a strategic change when it stopped making turnkey biogas units for farmers, focusing instead on components, cogeneration units fired with biogas, and components for biomethane production.
The new strategy was a success. For instance, Haase set up the first biomethane the unit in the German state of Saarland, which went into operation last summer. Agraferm Technologies AG built the system, while Haase provided the processing technology. Now, Haase staff hope that the firm's reputation and brand will continue to attract interest in the company. (Dittmar Koop / Craig Morris)
