$2.5M private investment boosts Terravesta and booming miscanthus

In the United Kingdom, former IG Group chief executive and current Scotgold chairman Nat le Roux bought a personal stake in renewable biomass business Terravesta. Le Roux invested £2 million, or about $2.5 million, in the business, reflecting the growing importance of clean energy, and the positive prospects for the rapidly-developing miscanthus bio-economy.

The investment will see the business grow its operations, allowing for more miscanthus planting to meet increasing demand and fund further research and development into producing new seed-based varieties and building robust markets for the crop.

“The investment will bolster Miscanthus markets and pave the way for innovations which are being successfully field- trialled. Over the next few years a proportion of farmers will be able to plant Miscanthus from seed as well as rhizome and currently numerous future markets for Miscanthus are opening up, which include biodegradable plastics, packaging, furniture, high value chemicals, pharmaceuticals and hundreds of other uses, through the process of bio-refining,” says Alex Robinson, operations manager for Terravesta.