Government to lead new communication strategy for AD

Ireland’s 2030 biomethane target will require the construction of 140-200 large-scale anaerobic digestion (AD) plants by 2030. These plants will replace 10% of our fossil natural gas use with zero-carbon biomethane.

Over the years, while this target was being developed, the focus was on setting the target, creating a business model for the industry, understanding feedstock requirements and securing grant funding.

However, one crucial element was often overlooked: how to engage with communities and gain their support. The Government now aims to address this gap.

Zero to 100

Ireland’s challenge is that, unlike many countries across Europe, it has never seen AD as a major development – except for a small number of plants. Across Europe there are around 19,000 AD plants, many of which are small-scale, on-farm facilities producing electricity. In these countries, AD isn’t considered taboo; it’s simply another form of farming. Now, those countries are shifting towards biomethane production, which requires newer, much larger plants. While this transition poses challenges, at least the technology is widely accepted.

Ireland, however, faces the challenge of moving from virtually no AD plants to potentially hundreds of large-scale facilities, often located in rural areas or near communities. Arguably, the communication of this plan – and what these plants actually do – was overlooked in the State’s AD strategy.

While many people oppose them, everyone understands what a wind or solar farm is, and their function. In contrast, AD projects are often less familiar to the public. The responsibility for explaining these projects was largely left to developers, leading to mixed results.

Furthermore, a quick Google search of AD in Ireland often highlights cases where problems have arisen with the country’s few existing, older plants. As a result, the story of AD in Ireland has lacked a clear narrative beyond negativity.

Community opposition

It is now common for a local community group to form in opposition whenever a new AD project is announced. Currently, at least five active concern groups across the country are campaigning against AD plants in the planning system.

In general, community concerns about AD plants relate to potential issues such as traffic, noise, odour, safety, impact on property prices, land use changes, unintended environmental consequences and alterations to the character of a site.

AD developers typically conduct some form of community consultation to share details of the proposed plant, including its size, choice of feedstock, reasons for selecting the location and potential community benefits. These consultations may take the form of drop-in events, town hall meetings, or door-to-door visits. They also provide an opportunity for communities to voice their concerns and better understand what the project offers them.

But is this enough? Judging by the number of objections to AD plants in the planning system and the large turnouts at community group meetings, the answer appears to be no. Typically, not everyone in an area opposes a project, but those who do are usually proactive, and the cause can become highly emotive.

Government’s new strategy

The National Biomethane Strategy outlines that the success of the industry will rely on good local stakeholder engagement and communication.

The Government is set to take a key role in this and is developing a new communications strategy to help inform the public, farmers and developers about biomethane technology, and how they can learn more about it.

Central to this will be a new online Biomethane Information Hub, bringing together all information relating to the technology, along with new guidance and best-practice information, in one place. It will aim to reduce development times and avoid delays by outlining the exact requirements for a project. Currently, no such planning guidelines exist.

At the recent Renewable Gas Conference, Niamh Hamill from the Department of the Environment, Climate and Communications (DECC) stated that while the Government has set a biomethane target and developed a strategy, it has not yet started to actively communicate what this means for Ireland.

“We [conference attendees] all know it, but the external citizen doesn’t know it,” she said.

The website is still being developed, but it will compile all relevant information from State agencies and incorporate input from developers. It is set to launch this year.

The platform will streamline how people learn about AD, while also playing a role in educating communities, she explained. The online hub will also provide guidance to developers on best-practice community engagement, sharing examples from successful projects.

What’s in it for communities?

A serious question needs to be asked: what can AD do for communities? The Government’s plan is for AD to help reduce Ireland’s emissions, provide new markets for farmers, create local employment and establish a new industry supply chain. But is that enough for communities?

At a minimum, every AD project should include a community benefit fund, ensuring yearly payments to local groups and causes.

This is already a requirement for Government-supported wind and solar farms, which must contribute €2/MWh per year.

While some AD developers have stated they may establish such a fund, there is no obligation to do so. Unlike wind and solar farms, AD does not yet have a long-term Government support scheme in place. Instead, AD plants will primarily rely on private gas purchase agreements with fuel suppliers and large energy users, and the margins may not support such a fund.

This is one of the unintended consequences of the Government failing to introduce a similar scheme for AD as it did for electricity projects.

A Sustainability Charter, which AD operators must sign up to, is expected to be launched this year and may contain guidelines for a community benefit fund.

Most large-scale commercial developers are facing challenges with their projects in their communities. CycleØ, a European AD developer, is one of them.

The company had planned to hold a community information event on its proposed AD plant in Kildare in February, but had to postpone the event due to a number of individuals planning to cause disruption and disorder.

The company stated that it planned to hold the event on Wednesday 19 February, as an opportunity for the local community near the proposed biogas plant at Ballyvass, Kildare, to learn more about the plans.

However, the event had to be postponed after the hotel where it was due to take place cancelled the booking upon receiving information about planned disruption by a small number of individuals intending to attend.

The event will now take place on 5 March at the Talbot Hotel, Carlow, from 2pm to 7pm.

Regret

Speaking about the venue’s decision to cancel the event, CycleØ country manager for Ireland, James Manley, said: “We regret the cancellation decision taken by the venue, which was based on the actions of a few people. Our intention was to hold an open community event, as we have done elsewhere in Ireland, to speak with local residents and discuss our plans with them”.

“The event was intended to address any potential concerns the local community might have about our plans at Ballyvass, and it was an opportunity to highlight the benefits the plans will bring to Ireland and the local community” he said.

“We look forward to our next opportunity to have those conversations,” he concluded.

Plans

CycleØ currently has AD plants planned or operating in Spain, Italy and Ireland – with ambitions to develop, build, own and operate at least 50 plants across Europe by 2028.

Last year, it announced plans to proceed with a €100m investment across four sites in Kildare, Cavan, Galway and Limerick.

The first planning applications for the projects are expected to be submitted soon.