Oireachtas Joint and Select Committees
Tuesday, 15 October 2019
Joint Oireachtas Committee on Communications, Climate Action and Environment
Gas Networks Ireland's Vision 2050: Discussion
Mr. Denis O'Sullivan:
Ireland has significant additional capacity to grow grass. Dairy and beef farmers generally produce only the amount of fodder they believe they will require for the following year. That is down to cashflow and the business requirements. Anaerobic digestion, AD, rolled out in Ireland could provide a means whereby additional revenue can be sourced from the production of grass for AD plants. We believe that can be done separately from the existing herd, without impacting on the herd or any form of food production. The roll-out of farm-based AD will require support and subvention. We believe the carbon tax collected from natural gas should go towards decarbonising the gas network and part of that is the development of a renewable gas industry.