Made from farm and food waste, biomethane will support Ireland’s cleaner energy future

As a renewable replacement for natural gas, investment in the large-scale production of biomethane has the potential to help achieve Ireland’s climate goals, boost the economy and ensure future security of supply.

The Government’s recently announced National Biomethane Strategy and provision of funding supports is a welcome boost for current and prospective producers. By 2030, the target is for this renewable gas to provide 10 per cent of the country’s needs. The new strategy details several actions designed to incentivise more investment in the biomethane industry, which is still in its early stages in Ireland compared with other European Union countries.

The new measures include capital grants for businesses to help pay for investments in anaerobic digestion facilities, while the Government will also create a market for biomethane by introducing regulatory obligations on energy providers to buy the renewable gas.

Ireland has a strategic opportunity for the extensive production of biomethane – a renewable replacement for natural gas – which will support the achievement of key climate goals as well as providing an economic boost for communities in the regions. Replacing natural gas with renewable gases such as biomethane represents an essential bridging step in the decarbonisation of the gas network.

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Biomethane will play an important role in meeting Ireland’s 2030 emissions reduction target, achieving net zero emissions by 2050, and the sustainable delivery of a net zero carbon gas network. There are already several biomethane plants contracted to connect to the network, with more in development. Last month it was announced that Bia Energy, the first such plant in the greater Dublin area, will be directly connected to the gas network. It will contribute up to 120 gigawatt hours (GWh) of biomethane annually to the national network, reducing nearly 25,000 tonnes of carbon dioxide emissions each year.

Biomethane is a carbon-neutral renewable gas made from farm and food waste through a process known as anaerobic digestion. It is initially produced through the breakdown of organic material, feedstock, by micro-organisms in large oxygen-free tanks, anaerobic digesters, into biogas and digestate. To be injected into the gas network, this biogas must be upgraded to biomethane and meet the quality standards required by Gas Networks Ireland.

We believe there is significant opportunity for the agricultural and energy sectors to join forces and create a thriving biomethane economy in Ireland by 2030

—  Gas Networks Ireland’s head of business development, Karen Doyle

Sustainable and structurally identical

Chemically, biomethane is structurally identical to natural gas and can be delivered through existing infrastructure and appliances, meaning customers will be able to transition to this sustainable energy source and play their part in progressing Ireland towards a cleaner energy future, without changing a thing.

Under the Climate Action Plan, Ireland has a target to produce 5.7 terawatt-hours (TWh) of biomethane by 2030 – equivalent to 10 per cent of Ireland’s current natural gas demand. The Biomethane Energy Report published by Gas Networks Ireland in 2023 identified 176 projects throughout Ireland that have the overall potential to produce 14.8 TWh of biomethane per annum, amounting to 26 per cent of Ireland’s current gas demand – 2.5 times the 2030 target.

An attainable goal

“We commissioned the report to understand if the Government target is achievable,” explains Karen Doyle, Gas Networks Ireland’s head of business development. “We were confident, but we wanted to validate that. The results demonstrate just how attainable the goal is, and we believe that with the right structures and policies that are now being put in place we could potentially surpass that target.”

From a network point of view, Gas Networks Ireland will facilitate the injection of the renewable biomethane through two methods. The first is a direct connection where a pipeline extension will be constructed to connect a biomethane plant to the network.

It is not unreasonable to assume there is further potential biomethane production available in Ireland and that current gas demand could be substantially displaced with indigenous biomethane

—  Gas Networks Ireland chief executive Cathal Marley

Where a pipeline is not viable, the second option is to transport the biomethane by road to a central facility where it will be injected into the gas network. In a very welcome finding, more than 50 per cent of the projects, representing 75 per cent of the overall production, are capable of direct connection to the network. Doyle explains the importance of that finding: “We operate under economic tests set by the Commission for the Regulation of Utilities to protect gas consumers. We can only invest in network projects that make economic sense and don’t unduly add to the price paid by consumers. The great majority of projects identified will meet that economic test.”

Gas Networks Ireland is currently progressing a central grid injection facility in Mitchelstown in Co Cork. When operating at full capacity it will have the potential to inject up to 700 GWh of renewable gas into the gas network per annum, reducing emissions by about 130,000 tonnes of CO2 annually. The modular build facility is currently in the detailed design phase and equipment procurement is under way. Construction is expected to start later this year, with an opening expected by the first quarter of 2025.

Untapped potential

According to the European Union, Ireland has the highest potential for biomethane production per capita in Europe, due in part to this country’s large agricultural sector. “It is not unreasonable to assume that there is further potential biomethane production available in Ireland and that current gas demand could be substantially displaced with indigenous biomethane,” says Gas Networks Ireland chief executive Cathal Marley. “In Denmark, which has a population and agricultural industry similar in size to Ireland, biomethane now makes up 39 per cent of gas on the national grid, just eight years after the first large plant was built there.”

The economic benefits are also important. “We believe there is a significant opportunity for the agricultural and energy sectors to join forces and create a thriving biomethane economy in Ireland by 2030,” says Doyle.

Byproducts

“Biomethane is a very flexible gas that contributes to circular economies, as it can be made from farm and food waste,” she continues. “Its byproducts include a digestate that can be used as environmentally friendly and highly effective fertiliser; and carbon dioxide, which can be used by other industries in, for example, the production of carbonated drinks.” Those benefits should not be underestimated. “It will help abate methane emissions from agriculture and will also aid farmers in complying with nitrates regulations by enabling them to divert slurry to biomethane plants rather than spreading it on the land,” Doyle explains. “That will also improve water quality. The process also produces CO2 which can be taken off for use in the food processing and carbonated drinks sectors among others. We are taking a problem for farmers and turning it into an environmental and financial benefit.”

These benefits are contingent on a number of factors, however. The first being the required investment in infrastructure by Gas Networks Ireland. “We are determined to play our part in fostering and nurturing the development of this exciting new industry in Ireland,” says Doyle. “Large scale biomethane production will be critically dependent on gas network connectivity and we will provide that.”

An emerging sector

Shortly after publication of the National Biomethane Strategy, Gas Networks Ireland and Bia Energy announced a significant partnership to enable renewable biomethane gas from the Bia Energy facility at Huntstown, Co Dublin, to be injected directly into the gas network. This will be an important milestone in the development of Ireland’s renewable energy sector, as more biomethane made from food waste from the greater Dublin area will be injected directly into the State’s gas network.

“Replacing natural gas with biomethane in the short term is a crucial first step in the decarbonisation of the gas network. Biomethane can play an important role in meeting the State’s 2030 emissions reduction target and having increased volumes of biomethane on the national gas network will enable businesses to procure this renewable gas to decarbonise their operations,” says Marley.

“Gas Networks Ireland is delighted to partner with Bia Energy on this project, which will not only enhance Ireland’s energy security by reducing reliance on imported energy, but also support decarbonisation.”