Northern Ireland has a temperate climate with high grass yields, large volumes of slurries and manures, a modern gas network and a progressive farming industry facing a problem to solve.

These factors create an ideal environment for establishing a biomethane industry.

This consensus is shared by many in Northern Ireland who believe that, if mobilised, the country could meet 80% of its gas demands with biomethane.

However, the exact route to develop this industry is still up for discussion. From a policy and support perspective, Northern Ireland is at a similar stage to where the Republic of Ireland was two to three years ago.

At that time, the Republic still lacked a roadmap and strategy for biomethane development. However, unlike the Republic of Ireland, Northern Ireland already has a well-established anaerobic digestion (AD) industry, producing electricity from biogas.

Public views

The Northern Ireland Department of Economy held a series of stakeholder engagement workshops as part of a wider effort to promote biomethane production.

An online public consultation, inviting feedback from the general public, closes on 9 August at 5pm.

The consultation and workshops focused on three main elements: feedstock, economics and the gas grid.

Feedback was sought on how to encourage more food waste to be diverted from landfills to AD plants and whether farmers should be encouraged to produce grass silage to produce biomethane.

The consultation also sought views on managing digestate from AD to address the excess nutrient issue in Northern Ireland.

Scale

The discussion also covered the model of AD, whether the development of the biomethane sector should be based on large-scale, centralised AD plants or not and how a co-operative model might fit into this framework.

Questions about the costs and support necessary for biomethane production was also addressed, as was the potential impact on consumer bills if a green gas levy was introduced.

Analysis shows that this could increase domestic gas bills by up to £195 per annum.

The consultation also explored how gas grid connection costs could be addressed and whether these costs should be socialised or borne by the AD plants themselves.

To take part in the consultation, follow this link.