GLOBAL BIOENERGIES - Exclusive in France: Butagaz and Global Bioenergies present the first bottles of bio-sourced gas

Exclusive in France: Butagaz and Global Bioenergies present the first bottles of bio-sourced gas

Up to 40% lower CO2 emissions over the life cycle of bottled gas 

Levallois-Perret and Evry, 23 January 2018 - Butagaz, one of the leading multi-energy companies in France, and Global Bioenergies present a preview of their first bottles containing bio-isobutene, a bio-sourced gas.

The supply of this bio-sourced gas, which will be distributed for the first time in France in an Intermarché point of sale, is a first and decisive step towards furthering the aim of contributing to meeting France's greenhouse gas emissions reduction target by driving innovation. Incorporating bio-isobutene in Butagaz's butane and propane gas bottles reduces CO₂ emissions by up to 40%* over the entire life cycle of the bottled gas.

Butagaz, a leading French multi-energy company, distributes natural gas, electricity, wood pellets, as well as - naturally - propane and butane gas (these gases are amongst the cleanest forms of fossil fuel**). To achieve its aim of reducing the carbon footprint of its propane and butane value chains even further, the Butagaz group signed an exclusive partnership deal in France with Global Bioenergies (see press release dated 16 January 2017), a pioneering French company developing a process to convert renewable resources, such as sugar beet, into hydrocarbons through fermentation. Butagaz is contributing financially to Global Bioenergies' industrial development in return for reserved batches of bio-isobutene, whose physical and chemical properties are close to those of butane and propane.

Less than one year old, the partnership has already yielded its initial fruits with the first gas bottles containing between 10 and 15% bio-isobutene. A remarkable first! These batches of bio-isobutene were produced by Global Bioenergies' demo plant at Leuna in Germany.

A first in our innovation drive to help meet national goals

"A few months ago we reached a major milestone in our multi-energy diversification strategy by distributing natural gas, electricity and wood pellets to individual households. I had said that this was only the beginning. I feel a great sense of pride today in introducing an innovation that combines cutting-edge technologies and our long-standing expertise. This exclusive offer of bio-sourced gas can significantly reduce CO2 emissions throughout the gas life cycle, from production through to sale", explained Emmanuel Trivin, Chairman of Butagaz.

"This is a new and strategic step towards achieving our joint aim of offering a choice of energy solutions to French consumers in the future to help them further reduce their carbon footprint. With our demo plant operational, we can now reach consumers directly for the first time. This latest development is another step forward in building up the commercial ecosystem of IBN-One, our future first full-scale plant", said Marc Delcourt, CEO of Global Bioenergies.

This breakthrough is only the beginning. In the long term, Butagaz will have the potential to purchase large quantities of "made in France" bio-isobutene when the first Global Bioenergies' plant comes on stream at a sugar producer Cristal Union's site in Champagne. This bio-isobutene can then be incorporated in Butagaz's bottles or tanks of butane and propane, generating CO₂ savings of up to 40%* on a large scale throughout the gas life cycle.

Butagaz and Global Bioenergies extend their sincere gratitude to Intermarché which joined the partnership to supply the first bottles containing the bio-sourced gas at its Benfeld point-of-sale in Alsace. 

About Butagaz
The Butagaz group is a multi-energy supplier whose aim is to ensure the daily comfort of its customers. A subsidiary of the Irish DCC group, it is a leading and trusted distributor in the French propane and butane market. With its focus on improving comfort and providing customers with a wider range of solutions to choose from, Butagaz also offers natural gas, electricity and wood pellets to individuals and businesses throughout France. In January 2017, Butagaz was joined by Gaz Européen, a French electricity and Natural Gas company that supplies business customers in France through seven regional entities. Its commitment to innovation, the cornerstone of its brand promise, led it to diversify its business and to launch -Zagatub-, its own start-up accelerator programme which concentrates on innovative entrepreneurial initiatives to increase comfort in the home. Zagatub provides support for the industrialisation of product innovations.
More than four million customers trust Butagaz and in excess of 95% of them said they were satisfied with the solutions and services it supplies (source: June 2017 customer survey by "La Voix du Client").
For more information go to: www.butagaz.fr - Follow us on Twitter: @BUTAGAZ

About the DCC group
DCC is a leading international sales, marketing and support services group for businesses with a focus on building the performance and growth of its clients. It operates in four main areas: LPG (liquefied petroleum gas), Service stations, Healthcare and Technology. DCC is an entrepreneurial business operating in 15 countries in Europe, supplying products and services used by millions of people every day. Building strong routes to market to generate results, focusing on cash planning and generating profitable sustainable returns on capital employed enable DCC to reinvest in its business, creating value for its stakeholders and driving innovation throughout the group. Headquartered in Dublin, DCC employs approximately 11,000 people. It is listed on the London stock exchange and is a constituent of the FTSE 100. At 31 March 2017, DCC generated revenue of £12.3 billion and an operating profit of £345 million.

About Global Bioenergies      
Global Bioenergies is one of the few companies worldwide, and the only one in Europe, that is developing a process to convert renewable resources into hydrocarbons through fermentation. The Company initially focused its efforts on the production of isobutene, one of the most important petrochemical building blocks that can be converted into fuels, plastics, organic glass and elastomers. Global Bioenergies continues to improve the performance of its process, to operate its demo plant in Germany, and to prepare the first full-scale plant through a joint venture with Cristal Union, named IBN-One. Global Bioenergies is listed on Euronext Growth Paris (FR0011052257 - ALGBE). Stay informed! Subscribe to our newsfeed on http://www.global-bioenergies.com/. Follow us on Twitter: @GlobalBioenergi

sources:

* En phase de production commerciale, selon l'Analyse de Cycle de Vie réalisée par EVEA - en cours de revue critique (rapport disponible premier semestre 2018)

(*During the commercial production stage, according to the Life Cycle Assessment conducted by EVEA, currently under critical review (report due in the first half of 2018))

** - Les émissions atmosphériques de la combustion de biomasse, ADEME, 19 juillet 2007.

(** - Atmospheric emissions from biomass combustion, French Environment and Energy Management Agency, ADEME, 19 July 2007. )

- Analyse du cycle de vie comparative propane vs fioul pour une application de chauffage domestique, EVEA, 2014

-(Comparative life cycle assessment of propane vs. diesel oil for home heating applications, EVEA, 2014)

- LPG and Local Air Quality - A Scientific Review. Atlantic Consulting, 2009

- Gaseous and Particle Emission Factors from the Selected On-Road Petrol/Gasoline, Diesel, and Liquefied Petroleum Gas

 - Vehicles, Chan T.L. et al, Energy and fuel (2007), 21, 2710-2718)

Press contacts

GLOBAL BIOENERGIES
Bernard CHAUD
01 64 98 20 65
bernard.chaud@global-bioenergies.com

Groupe BUTAGAZ
Timothée Lenoir
06 46 67 62 93
timothee.lenoir@elanedelman.com