The Irish Bioenergy Association (IrBEA) held the first part of its 25th National Bioenergy Conference, covering solid biomass and biochar, on May 7, 2026, at the Killashee Hotel, Naas, Co. Kildare. The second part of the conference, which will be dedicated to the biomethane and biofuel sectors, is planned to take place later in the year.
The overarching title of the 25th National Bioenergy Conference is “From Resource to Resilience: Biomass Fuelling Ireland’s energy future.”
Sponsored by the Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland (SEAI), Worrell Timber Group, Balcas Energy, and with additional sponsorship from Bord na Móna (BnM) and McCauley Wood Fuels, Maurice Ryan, President of the Irish Bioenergy Association (IrBEA) and Director of Business Development for Green Belt said that there is no doubt that the time for “biomass deployment at scale is now, given the challenges facing us in terms of rising fossil fuel prices due to war, climate change, decarbonisation and delivery on Ireland’s renewable energy targets.”
There is a significant opportunity and great potential for biomass, including the role of forestry and timber production as valuable income drivers in rural communities. It is incumbent on the Government and industry to further encourage the forestry program and rapidly increase the levels of afforestation, to increase the land availability for forestry and woodland development, and work towards attaining our climate targets. The Government has ambitious targets to increase the amount of timber used in buildings and construction, which must be based on the indigenous timber supply. The bioenergy sector and renewable heat produced using solid biomass is a key enabler of sustainable forest management, which is vital to maximising the potential of the forest for timber production, Maurice Ryan said.
There is significant potential to drive forward with the deployment of bioenergy in Ireland.
The building blocks for the development of the biomass sector are beginning to line up. Biomass is the cheapest form of renewable heat available. It was good to hear Minister Dooley, in his opening address, affirm the Government’s objective to develop the biomass sector as a source of indigenous renewable energy with huge potential. We now need to see an acceleration on the rollout of key policy and legislative frameworks to bring projects forward and drive action on the ground in project development, said Seán Finan, CEO of IrBEA.
The key messages arising from the conference, which covered solid biomass, wood fuels, biochar, and biocarbon products, included:
- Extension of the Support Scheme for Renewable Heat (SSRH) to the Emissions Trading System (ETS) sector
- Removal of the SSRH scheme cap (1 MW)
- Need for an increase in SSRH operational tariffs and adjustment of the heat cap
- Requirement for enhanced Government, policy, and industry recognition for the solid sector as the cheapest form of renewable heat available
- Solid biomass to be included as an eligible fuel in the Renewable Heat Obligation (RHO), with no restriction on its use in fulfilling obligation requirements
- Address gaps in the enforcement of the solid fuel regulations
- Recognition for biochar in Irish carbon farming removal frameworks and policy
- Enhanced research on uses for biochar
- Awareness of the role of biochar in addressing common challenges and reducing emissions in agriculture, biomaterials, construction, and as a biofertilizer and fuel
- Updates on the important work taking place in the IrBEA RD&D projects, including Interreg North West Europe and Just Transition Fund (JTF).
IrBEA and its members are eager to meaningfully contribute to decarbonisation, emissions reductions, and renewable energy targets and are ready to take the next steps and ensure biomass has a key role in Ireland’s energy future, concluded Seán Finan.
