Govt Must Convert Ambition Around Biomethane & Biogas into Delivery

IFA Energy from Farms Project Team Chair Maurice Brady has called on the Government to move beyond ambition and deliver the certainty needed to establish a meaningful agri-led biomethane/biogas sector in Ireland.

Following Biomethane Day Ireland in Dublin this week, Maurice Brady said there is broad agreement on the potential of biomethanes/biogas to reduce emissions, strengthen energy security and provide a new income stream for farm families.

However, farmers have been waiting too long for meaningful progress. “Farmers are ready to invest, but they need certainty that proposed projects can progress and that they will be commercially viable.”

Mr. Brady noted the commitment to progress the Renewable Heat Obligation (RHO) and open a capital grant scheme later this year, but said these measures alone will not provide the confidence needed to fully unlock investment. The long-awaited progression of the RHO is positive, but the lack of clear timelines or additional supports are significant concerns. These are urgently needed if farmer scale biomethane/biogas production is to become a reality.

“Ireland has set ambitious biomethane/biogas targets, but unless projects are bankable, they will not be achieved. Government must now provide the long-term certainty needed for farmers, developers and lenders to invest with confidence.”

IFA calls for the following:

• That the proposed biomethane capital grant programme of €190/€200m under the Irish Nature and Climate fund must include a 50% capital grant for farm scale biogas plants in line with the IFA energy from farms policy paper.

• Similar to the earlier DAFM biomethane capital grant scheme, the new capital grant scheme must provide funding for farm-scale biogas plant which use the biogas produced on the farm to produce heat and power through a combined heat and power plant. This will assist farmers to produce their own heat and electricity from slurries and farm by-products for use on their farms and reduce energy costs

• That the Government needs to move with urgency with the roll out of the capital grant programme and legislative process for the RHO which is important to mobilise the biogas/biomethane sector in Ireland.

• Farmers need to be recognised through policy and supports for their potential to produce renewable energy on their farms to complement existing food production activities.

He warned that while other European countries have backed biomethane/biogas with strong, long-term support, Ireland’s inaction risks us falling even further behind.

“We have been talking about biomethane for more than a decade. Ireland has the farmers, the feedstock, the grid and the expertise to build a successful indigenous sector. The opportunity is there. Government must now match its ambition with decisive action.”