Capital increase against cash contribution completed successfully

Issue proceeds of EUR 27.2 million
International investor base clearly expanded
Free float rises to up to 85.9 %

Schwandorf, February 15th, 2007. The Managing Board of Schmack Biogas AG has announced the successful placement of 493,955 shares in the context of a capital increase against cash contribution and decided on February 14, 2007 with the consent of the Supervisory Board, to increase the company’s share capital against a cash contribution by EUR 493,955 from EUR 4,939,559 to EUR 5,433,514 by issuing 493,955 registered shares, each of which represents EUR 1.00 of the share capital. The capital increase will be effected ex rights. The issue price, which was determined by way of a bookbuilding procedure, is EUR 55.00 per share. The company will collect gross issue proceeds of roughly EUR 27.2 million from the transaction. The proceeds will mainly be used to expand the company’s own biogas plant operation activities, especially in the context of cooperations with municipal utilities and private energy providers. Only recently, Schmack Biogas established two joint ventures with Stadtwerke Regensburg and Erdgas Südbayern, respectively, which intend to invest approx. EUR 80 million in new biogas plants over the next five years.

The shares were placed by UniCredit Markets & Investment Banking (Bayerische Hypo- und Vereinsbank AG), Munich and Calyon S.A., Paris as part of an international private placement with institutional investors in Europe and the USA according to Rule 144A of the U.S. Securities Act of 1933. Says Dr. Alexander Götz, CFO of Schmack Biogas AG: “Following our entry in the US market in August 2006, it is only logical to recruit US institutions into our investor base. The extremely positive response shown by US investors corroborates our step.”

Old shareholders SAM Sustainability Private Equity Fund LP, SAM Private Equity Energy Fund LP, S-REFIT AG, BayBG Bayerische Beteiligungsgesellschaft mbH, Cornes & Co. Ltd and Umwelt Bank AG, have replaced 1,080,684 shares, which means that each of them – with the exception of Cornes & Co. Ltd., who have sold about one third of their shares – has sold all their shares. The transaction was prepared and structured together with Network Corporate Finance GmbH & Co. KG, which is a consultant to the main old shareholders, S-REFIT AG, BayBG Bayerische Beteiligungsgesellschaft mbH and Umwelt Bank AG.

Says Dr. Alexander Götz: “It was the declared wish of some of our long-standing financial investors to sell shares with a view to increasing the free float. This allowed us to greatly expand the investor base and to increase the free float significantly to up to 85.9 percent. We aim to become a serious candidate for admission to the TecDAX technology index in the medium term. I think we have now laid the foundation that will enable us to achieve this aim.”

The shares are expected to be settled and delivered on February 19, 2007. The capital increase and the replacement have a combined transaction volume of roughly EUR 100 million including a greenshoe option of up to 236,196 shares granted to the syndicate banks by Abel Beteiligungs GmbH & Co. KG. The shares are expected to be settled and delivered on February 19, 2007 from the portfolios of the remaining old shareholders, Ulrich Schmack and Abel Beteiligungs GmbH & Co. KG, who have made the shares available to the banks by way of a free securities loan. As soon as the capital increase has been entered in the Commercial Register, the syndicate banks will use their new shares to repay the securities loan to Ulrich Schmack and Abel Beteiligungs GmbH & Co. KG.







Profile:
Schmack Biogas AG is a leading German supplier of biogas plants. Established in 1995, the company provides its services through two divisions, namely Planning and Construction and Plant Management and Service, and is one of the few full-service providers in the industry.
Apart from technical support, the company focuses on comprehensive microbiological service. Through its newly established subsidiary, Schmack Energie Holding, the company now also invests in the operation of own biogas plants. To date, Schmack Biogas has built 171 plants with a combined nominal output of 41 MW.


Contact:
Schmack Biogas AG
Markus Meyr
+49 (0) 9431 / 751-111
markus.meyrschmack-biogas.com

Haubrok Investor Relations
Frank Ostermair, Michael Müller
+49 (0) 211 / 301260
f.ostermairhaubrok.de, haubrok.de" target="_blank">m.muellerhaubrok.de


Disclaimer:
This publication constitutes neither an offer to sell nor a solicitation to buy securities.

This press release must not be published, released or distributed, directly or indirectly, in the United States, Canada, Japan or Australia. These materials do not constitute an offer of securities for sale nor the solicitation of an offer to purchase securities in the United States. The securities referred to herein have not been and will not be registered under the U.S. Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and may not be offered or sold in the United States absent registration or an exemption from registration. No public offering of securities will be made in the United States.
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Source: Schmack Biogas AG / pressbot.net

Ihr Ansprechpartner:

Firma	:	Schmack Biogas AG
Name	:	Kerstin Dietl
Straße	:	Bayernwerk 8
Stadt	:	- 92421 Schwandorf
Telefon	:	+49(0) 9431 751 0
Fax	:	+49(0) 9431 751 204
WWW	:	www.schmack-biogas.com
E-Mail	:

15.02.2007 - 0:00 Source: pressbot.net | Read: 977 X