The focus of this year's edition of the annual Irish Bioenergy Association's (IrBEA) National Bioenergy Conference taking place today (October 10, 2024), at the Royal Marine Hotel, Dún Laoghaire, County Dublin is on the need to action and resource existing Government strategies and the rollout of new and enhanced policies and financial supports to advance the development of the sector.
The bioenergy energy sectors of solid biomass, liquid biofuels, biogas, biomethane aka renewable natural gas (RNG), wood fuels, energy crops, and biochar are growing rapidly across Europe with bioenergy being the largest source of renewable energy at 58.9 percent according to the EU Commission.
Speaking at the opening of the 23rd National Bioenergy Conference, Paddy Phelan, Irish Bioenergy Association (IrBEA) President and CEO of the South East Energy Agency noted that the “gap between our renewable energy targets and actual delivery is widening which shows the significant opportunity to scale up ambition on the deployment of bioenergy across all the sectors.”
In the last year, we have had several Government roadmaps and strategies published including the Biomethane Strategy and the Roadmap for the Decarbonisation of Industrial Heat. What we urgently need now are the supporting policies including legislation, funding, and support which will make these plans a reality and drive the development of the bioenergy supply chain and sector to deliver on this opportunity, said Paddy Phelan.
The European Commission has expressed significant concerns regarding Ireland’s renewable energy target of 43.5 percent by 2030. There is a growing apprehension that this target is in serious jeopardy. To avert substantial fines for failing to meet binding EU targets, it is imperative that bioenergy plays a crucial role in achieving these goals. The European Commission emphasizes the need for immediate and substantial efforts in the bioenergy sector to ensure compliance and support Ireland’s transition to a sustainable energy future, Paddy Phelan said.
As the gas network operator in Ireland – and conference sponsor – Gas Networks Ireland (GNI) is a key stakeholder in the mobilization of the biomethane sector.
They are actively engaged in encouraging the development of an indigenous biomethane industry as a way of delivering on its pathway towards achieving net zero, through biomethane and hydrogen in the gas network.
Gas Networks Ireland is delighted to co-sponsor the IrBEA Annual Conference again this year. We have seen big changes since last year’s conference with the publication of the National Biomethane Strategy. Now the real work begins in implementing the strategy. We hope the whole industry will engage in progressing the implementation of this strategy, not least of which is the Renewable Heat Obligation (RHO) and the long-awaited operational support for biomethane, said Padraig Fleming, Biomethane Programme Manager at Gas Networks Ireland.
Semi-state resource and power utility Bord na Móna, also a conference sponsor, has plans to further deploy a wide range of renewable energy generation technologies and projects nationwide.
Bord na Móna is continuing to deliver renewable energy generation projects across a range of technologies nationwide and we are delighted to co-sponsor IrBEA’s national bioenergy conference, said Tom Egan, Head of Operations at Bord na Móna.
Specifically, in bioenergy, they have plans for the development of a biomethane production facility and the use of 100 percent biomass at Edenderry Power while also exploring the potential and opportunity of bioenergy with carbon capture and storage (BECCS).
Today, we are very pleased to present how Edenderry Power in Co. Offaly has completed its transition from Brown to Green. It is fuelled exclusively by 100 percent biomass, making it the largest generator of renewable dispatchable electricity on the island. Bord na Móna is activating the solid biomass supply chain through the production of renewable electricity, as part of our updated vision for how bioenergy carbon capture can assist in achieving Ireland’s net zero objectives. Bioenergy has huge potential in Ireland and a significant part to play in Ireland’s energy transition to a net zero carbon power system. Bord na Móna is at the forefront of this and driving opportunities locally, Tom Egan said.
This year marks the 25th anniversary of the establishment of the Association. We thank Gas Networks Ireland and Bord na Móna for their co-sponsors of the 23rd national bioenergy conference, partnership with the Wood Fuel Quality Assurance (WFQA) scheme, and the Interreg NWE Cascade project for this conference. Both sponsors are keenly focused on developing and transmitting clean, renewable energy, along with carbon storage and resource recovery solutions, said Seán Finan, CEO of the Irish Bioenergy Association (IrBEA).
Bioenergy is uniquely placed to provide a solution to the current challenges that Ireland faces in terms of decarbonization, emissions reduction, and the renewable energy transition.
The reality is that we need all renewable technologies and all renewable fuel options to be deployed as part of a broad renewable energy policy in Ireland. The bioenergy sector is growing strongly across the EU and bioenergy remains the largest source of renewable energy at a European and global level. In Ireland, we have the Support Scheme for Renewable Heat (SSRH) for biomass and the Renewable Transport Fuel Obligation scheme for liquid and gaseous fuels. For the biomethane/biogas sector, the recently published Biomethane Strategy is a welcome first step, but further policy intervention is required to drive market certainty and the target set out, Seán Finan said.
We are now entering the election cycle and soon to elect a new Dáil. We require the next Government to show real leadership in recognizing the bioenergy potential that exists in Ireland. An ongoing operational support for the biogas/biomethane sector to replicate what is available for wind, solar and biomass needs to be prioritized. The promotion of the opportunity to drive and develop an indigenous renewable fuels production market needs a stronger focus. The Government needs to work closer with other EU states to tackle sustainability and traceability issues in the liquid fuel sector from non-EU biofuel feedstock sources. They need to recognize the strong potential for solid biomass at all levels for heat decarbonization and ensure that bioenergy and biochar feature strongly as carbon dioxide removal technologies in a future carbon farming framework. All these topics are on our agenda today, where we will further advance the discussion, ended Seán Finan.
