New miscanthus finance and end-user offtake agreements assist UK decarbonization

In the United Kingdom, in an industry first, farmers considering planting the carbon negative crop Miscanthus can now benefit from a finance package to cover virtually all upfront costs for crop establishment, as well as new direct, long-term offtake agreements with end-users, with 10–15-year index-linked annual returns.

The new opportunity has been launched to help support the growing need to decarbonise the UK economy with bio-based solutions, and if planting of perennial crops such as Miscanthus is accelerated quickly, to at least 30,000 hectares per year by 2035, this increase could sequester 2 MtCO2e by 2035 and over 6 MtCO2e by 20501.

Oxbury Bank is working in partnership with Miscanthus specialist, Terravesta, to deliver the new finance package, which is supporting farmers to plant and establish the crop. “One of the main barriers to entry for Miscanthus growing is the upfront cost of planting. Our finance package with Terravesta ensures a quick release of funds to help farmers to grow a sustainable business. The loan structure allows farmers to pay interest only for up to two years while the crop is establishing and then pay back the capital over an extended period of time when the crop is producing an economic return,” says Nick Evans, managing director of Oxbury Bank.

Under the new contract, Terravesta will supply its Performance Hybrids, planting equipment and agronomy throughout the crop’s life, ensuring successful crop establishment by committing to a minimum number of plants emerging under its new planting promise.