Biomethane gas produced from German anaerobic digestion (AD) plants is being imported into Ireland and used in the data centre sector.

Pure Data Centres Group, which operates hyperscale cloud and artificial intelligence (AI) data centres, has recently completed Europe’s first large-scale cross-border biomethane purchase for a data centre in Dublin.

The purchase saw the transfer of 9 gigawatt-hours (GWh) of certified German biomethane to the Irish gas network over a seven-day period and the company said that this show that gas-connected data centres can now be decarbonised at operational scale.

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The 9GWh consignment was produced in 2025 at certified AD plants in Germany using waste and residue feedstocks.

Maria Jose Rivas Duarte, director of sustainability at Pure DC, said: “This milestone supports Ireland’s Climate Action Plan and aligns with the LEU policy, under which data centres must meet at least 80% of their annual energy demand with additional renewable electricity.

“By demonstrating that cross-border biomethane can be procured, mass-balanced and registered at volume through existing infrastructure, we are helping to pave the way for broader data centre sector adoption as well as other industries seeking a credible route to decarbonise natural gas.”

The gas was mass-balanced from the German grid to the Irish network via established interconnectors, with the renewable attribute tracked end-to-end through the GNI Renewable Gas Registry.

Irish production

Ireland’s National Biomethane Strategy targets up to 5.7 terawatt-hours (TWh) of domestic biomethane production annually by 2030.

The company said that, while Irish production remains in development and it continues to progress Irish biomethane purchases, EU imports facilitated by established infrastructure and the Gas Networks Ireland Registry help bridge the gap and stimulate local investment.

The Irish AD sector remains in troubled waters, as the Renewable Heat Obligation scheme, a key support mechanism for Irish AD, may result in imported biomethane being used to meet the obligation. The development has rattled confidence in the sector, with a number of projects now paused.