This week at the Joint Oireachtas Committee on Environment and Climate Action, the Irish Bioenergy Association (IrBEA) outlined the urgency to introduce policies and supports for biogas/biomethane to mobilize an Irish AD sector.
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Anaerobic digestion (AD) is a proven technology used worldwide at many different scales.
Speaking at the Oireachtas Committee, Seán Finan, CEO of the Irish Bioenergy Association (IrBEA) said that biogas production from AD technology is “mainstream across Europe and worldwide.”
There are over 20 000 operational AD plants around the EU and several million across the world. Ireland is far behind its EU counterparts in policy development terms and utilizing this technology, with currently approximately 20 AD plants in operation in Ireland, Seán Finan said.
In 2017, an EU Commission report titled “An assessment of the potential of biogas from anaerobic digestion in the EU beyond 2020” identifies that the member state with the largest potential for growth of biogas production is Ireland.
Anaerobic digestion complements and delivers on EU policies such as the Farm to Fork strategy. The recent RePowerEU report sets an EU target of 35 billion m3 of biomethane by 2030. There is a significant opportunity for Ireland to contribute to this and a dedicated Irish AD biogas/biomethane policy is required to maximize the opportunity and potential for Ireland, said Noel Gavigan, Technical Executive at IrBEA.
The development of an Irish biomethane industry can present many opportunities for Ireland. The lack of progress in developing an Irish biogas/biomethane industry is a missed opportunity for Ireland’s economy.
This technology can bring many benefits including energy security, decarbonization, alternative farm enterprises, reduced emissions from agriculture, enhancing biodiversity, developing the circular and bioeconomy, improved water quality, rural development, and job creation, Noel Gavigan said.
The gap between the cost of production of biogas/biomethane and the market return has closed in recent times with the increased fossil energy prices.
This cost gap must be bridged through Government policy, support, incentives, and measures. Current policy measures such as the Support Scheme for Renewable Heat (SSRH) provide good incentives for solid biomass with significant opportunities to broaden and enhance the existing support for biogas, Seán Finan said.
Planned policy measures like the proposed Renewable Heat Obligation (RHO) must be put in place immediately to encourage a rapid transition from fossil fuels to indigenously produced biogas, biomass, and other fuels. IrBEA strongly encourages the Oireachtas committee to promote the immediate launch of this obligation, ended Seán Finan.
