Tirlán has submitted a planning application for a new anaerobic digestion (AD) plant at its Ballyragget production facility in Kilkenny.

The planned AD plant will generate renewable gas which will be used in existing boilers to displace natural gas and reduce the carbon emissions of the facility.

The AD plant will replace some of the current wastewater treatment facilities on site and will use the existing by-products produced in the various dairy manufacturing processes as feedstock.

The AD plant, when fully operational, will produce 19.8 gigawatt hours (GWh) of raw biogas per annum, similar to the output of a typical new-generation agricultural-based AD plant.

In a statement to the Irish Farmers Journal, Tirlán said the company has an ongoing programme of investment in its facilities, with a strong focus on delivering efficiencies through sustainable technologies.