Momentum continues to grow in the Irish biogas sector. Gas Network Ireland (GNI) has received over 100 preliminary enquiries for direct grid injection (DGI) of biomethane into the national gas grid.

Biomethane is created when biogas is upgraded to 99% methane content. Biomethane closely resembles the properties of natural gas and can be injected into our national gas grid for commercial and residential use, or use in the transport sector.

Currently, there is no support scheme to incentivise the injection of biomethane into the national gas grid. Despite this, the industry is making efforts to develop the sector.

Approximately 75% of enquiries relate to agricultural organic waste processing through anaerobic digestion

The European Commission has identified Ireland as having the greatest potential of any EU country per capita to develop biomethane.

Approximately 75% of enquiries relate to agricultural organic waste processing through anaerobic digestion. The remaining 25% are focused on specialised waste streams, such as food processing.

This increased interest in the food processing sector’s role is primarily driven by revisions to the EU Emissions Trading Scheme, as well as the new EU Green Deal and Farm to Fork Strategy, under which sustainable circular economy practices are to be incentivised and supported.

Some developments will not meet the requirements for DGI, mostly due to location

There are 95 enquiries that entered initial feasibility assessment and 91 have completed this process, with more than half shown to be viable for DGI. Several have begun pre-planning and planning development phases, with one project connected and a further two pending connection contracts.

Some developments will not meet the requirements for DGI, mostly due to location. Many of these projects will be able to supply Central Grid Injection (CGI) points, however, with gas delivered from many farms to a central collection point, similar to the traditional dairy co-op model.

CGI points are designed to receive road-transported renewable gas from clusters of six or more facilities within 50-80km of the CGI location.

Central injection facilities

Ireland’s only purpose-built CGI facility was developed in Cush, Co Kildare, where locally produced renewable gas has been successfully injected into Ireland’s gas network for the first time. The facility is capable of receiving renewable gas from three AD facilities.

GNI is seeking planning permission for a large-scale facility near Mitchelstown, Co Cork, with an initial two AD facilities planned to supply this CGI and a further six nearby AD facilities in pre-planning design.

When fully operational, this CGI facility will provide enough energy to heat 54,000 homes. GNI envisages up to nine CGI facilities in Ireland.