Developers of anaerobic digestion (AD) plants are being invited to submit expressions of interest to supply biomethane to a new central grid injection (CGI) facility in Mitchelstown, Co Cork, which is set to be built next year.

Gas Networks Ireland states that CGI facilities provide injection points for biomethane production sites that may be located too far away from the existing gas network to secure a direct grid connection.

Instead, biomethane can be compressed and transported by a specialised trailer to a point where it can be injected into the gas network.

Most of the initial customers for biomethane are likely to be connected to the grid, so getting biomethane into the network represents the most direct route to market for plants.

Design phase

The new Mitchelstown CGI facility is still in the detailed design phase, with equipment procurement under way.

At full capacity, the facility will be capable of injecting up to 700 gigawatt hours (GWh) of renewable gas into the national gas network annually.

This volume represents 1.2% of Ireland’s total gas demand and equates to about 12% of the Government’s 5.7 terrawatt hours (TWh) per annum biomethane production target for 2030, reducing national CO2 emissions by approximately 130,000 tonnes per year.

Construction of the facility is expected to begin later this year, with commissioning anticipated in the first quarter of next year.

The Mitchelstown CGI facility is the centrepiece of the much wider €30m Green Renewable Agricultural Zero Emissions (GRAZE) project in Mitchelstown.

Interested parties should submit their expressions of interest by close of business on Friday 12 July by following this link.