Galway's Glanua Group acquires UK engineering firm

Loughrea-headquartered company specialises in the design and delivery of water, wastewater and energy infrastructure across the UK and Ireland

Managing director of Glanua Group Karl Zimmerer. Picture: Andrew Downes

Galway-based engineering company Glanua group has announced the acquisition of the UK biogas engineering company Marches Biogas for an undisclosed amount.

The Loughrea-headquartered company specialises in the design and delivery of critical water, wastewater and energy infrastructure across the UK and Ireland. It also has a manufacturing site in Navan, Co Meath, and offices in London.

Marches Biogas is a specialist anaerobic digestion and biogas engineering company. Founded in 2009, the company has built more than 30 anaerobic digestion plants utilising feedstocks, including energy crops, farm slurries, food, and industrial wastes.

The company works on biomass treatment projects across the UK and internationally in the municipal and industrial sectors.

Based in Shropshire, the firm was acquired by its management and employees in 2020. The company recorded sales of £6m (€7.23m) in 2023 and employs 27 people.

Following the acquisition, Glanua Group will employ more than 600 people.

This is the second acquisition to be completed by Glanua in the last six months. The company acquired UK-based Aqua Operations in August of last year in a move that increased its presence in the UK’s water and wastewater industry.

Glanua Group managing director Karl Zimmerer said this acquisition “strengthens our position in the UK and aligns with our growth strategy and our sustainability goals”.

“It expands our capabilities, broadens our customer base, and enables us to better serve industrial clients who increasingly require anaerobic digestion solutions, while also opening the door to new opportunities in the municipal market,” he said.

Glanua’s total revenue during 2023 stood at €150m, which the company plans to increase to €400m by 2028.

The company said it was undergoing significant expansion and recently opened four new offices across Ireland and the UK in Belfast, Cork, Reading and London.

Glanua’s clients include Uisce Éireann, Thames Water, Yorkshire Water, Northern Ireland Water, Kerry Group, Glanbia and ABP.