Apeiron Bioenergy raises nearly $37 million through investment-grade green bond

Apeiron Bioenergy announced June 26 that it raised SGD$50 million (USD$36.9 million) on June 23 through the landmark issuance of a five-year senior unsecured green bond guaranteed by Credit Guarantee & Investment Facility, a trust fund of the Asian Development Bank, and an Association of Southeast Asian Nations Plus Three (ASEAN+3) initiative to develop local currency bond markets.

Rated AA by S&P Global Ratings, the privately placed bond was well-received by investors and was oversubscribed despite a challenging macroenvironment, according to Apeiron Bioenergy.

The green bond was issued at par and bears a coupon rate of 4.487 percent with HSBC Bank as the sole lead manager.

The proceeds will be applied toward capital expenditure and asset improvement for collection points and pretreatment facilities of waste-based feedstocks like used cooking oil (UCO) in the Philippines, Thailand and Vietnam.

The remainder will be used for general working-capital requirements.

The utilization of proceeds will be guided by Apeiron’s Green Finance Framework endorsed by Sustainalytics, demonstrating the company’s commitment to integrating environmental, social and governance factors into its operations.

UCO, one of Apeiron’s primary products, is one of the cleanest waste-based feedstocks for biofuel production offering the highest greenhouse-gas emissions savings.

It is a major feedstock for biofuel products such as sustainable aviation fuel (SAF).

As the SAF market is expected to grow at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 42 percent in the next decade, the availability of feedstock emerges as a crucial bottleneck.

Leveraging Apeiron’s robust network of suppliers across Asia, where the collection of waste-based feedstocks remains relatively untapped, the company is well-positioned to serve as the hub for the mass consolidation of waste-based biofuel feedstocks in the region.

“We are delighted by the overwhelming response to our green-bond issuance supported by CGIF, which demonstrates strong investor confidence and our shared mission with the Asian Development Bank,” said Chris Chen, co-founder of Apeiron Bioenergy. “This will allow Apeiron to expand our operations and maintain our position as a leader in the bioenergy sector. Building upon our operational and financial track record, we are fully committed to reducing reliance on fossil fuels and accelerating the growth of green energy.”

Hongwei Wang, CEO of CGIF, stated, “We are pleased to support Apeiron in its inaugural green-bond issuance, which will certainly benefit them in diversifying funding sources to support its sustainable growth. The transaction showcases our commitment in promoting debut issuers and green-bond issuances in the ASEAN+3 region. The successful issuance of this bond also demonstrates market participants’ confidence in CGIF and its guarantee product.”

Sean Henderson, co-head of debt capital markets for the Asia-Pacific region at HSBC, added, “We are pleased to have supported this landmark transaction for Apeiron, the first ever SGD bond issuance from the bioenergy industry in Asia. This transaction highlights our commitment to support growth-stage companies that can facilitate the transition to a carbon-sustainable economy through increasing the availability of low-carbon alternative biofuels. The strong reception by investors also affirms the markets’ support for companies that can deliver solutions for the new economy.”

Founded in 2007, Apeiron Bioenergy is an integrated global player in bioenergy products, spanning from feedstocks to end products and byproducts.

Headquartered in Singapore, the company operates refineries and collection points across 10 countries.