Aindrias Moynihan (Cork North-West, Fianna Fail)
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105. To ask the Minister for Environment, Community and Local Government the number of times the biomethane implementation group has met; when the group is next to report to his Department; when the biomethane sustainability charter will be published; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [30331/25]

Aindrias Moynihan (Cork North-West, Fianna Fail)
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Residents in areas where anaerobic digesters have been proposed have been raising concerns about the suitability of the infrastructure in the area. They have been pointing out, for example, the absence of planning guidelines. When will the biomethane implementation group publish its charter and set out guidelines to clarify the situation for community groups, local authorities and promoters of such projects?

Alan Dillon (Mayo, Fine Gael)
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I thank the Deputy for the question and welcome the opportunity to provide an update on the Government's progress on delivering on our biomethane ambitions. The Government has committed to supporting the production of up to 5.7 TW of indigenous produced biomethane by 2030, a key pillar of our national and EU climate and energy targets. A critical first step on this journey was the publication of the national biomethane strategy, which outlines 25 strategic actions to drive growth across the sector. To oversee this work, the biomethane implementation group, chaired by my Department, was established in 2024. It has met four times to date, bringing together key Government Departments, agencies and sectoral stakeholders. The group will meet again in September of this year and is currently finalising a progress report that will be published shortly on www.gov.ie. This report will provide updates on the key deliverables including the biomethane sustainability charter and the development of the biomethane information hub and communications strategy.

The charter is a priority action under the strategy. It has now been finalised following extensive consultation and is being prepared for publication. The charter will set out best practice guidelines to ensure that anaerobic digestion is developed in a more environmentally sustainable manner, protecting waste, soil, biodiversity, and ensuring that health and safety standards are maintained. This work is part of a broader policy framework that includes forthcoming renewable heat obligations and the heat networks Bill, both of which are progressing through Government and will provide the regulatory certainty and investment signals needed to scale up renewable heat and district heating infrastructure. In short, we are moving from strategy to action. The biomethane implementation group is central to ensuring that we can translate a coordinated policy into accountable and transparent action.

Aindrias Moynihan (Cork North-West, Fianna Fail)
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The implementation group was established last year and tasked with drawing up the guidelines and the charter. We know that the various stakeholder groups are going to find a way to have an input into that charter. Where do community groups stand? What level of engagement has there been with various different community groups? What opportunity have they had to have their voices heard at the table? To what extent has there been engagement with local communities, particularly in areas where these plants are already being proposed?

Alan Dillon (Mayo, Fine Gael)
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I am conscious that the Deputy is raising a question around the streamlining of the planning process. Certainly, I fully recognise the need for correct planning guidelines. Anaerobic digesters themselves are significant infrastructure projects so we need to ensure that these developments are sustainable, sensitive to local communities and are aligned with land use and ecology considerations. We want to improve clarity and consistency on this matter and included in the biomethane strategy is a commitment to developing an online information hub and to support public understanding and planning authority awareness of anaerobic digestion technology.

Planning policy is in the remit of my colleague, the Minister of State Deputy Cummins. We are working closely to align our Departments' commitments and the national planning policy that can evolve the timely and responsible development of these anaerobic digestion facilities.

Aindrias Moynihan (Cork North-West, Fianna Fail)
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Residents in the areas where anaerobic digestion plants are proposed have raised concerns about the digestate, for example, and whether it would be grass based or municipal waste. Would the charter and guidelines set out and specify that? How would we monitor that? Would the charter have teeth in order to be able to back that up and enforce it? Will the guidelines set out land usage policy, whether areas around a facility would remain in farming or steered towards grass production for the anaerobic digesters?

In the absence of guidelines, plans have been advancing in various different areas and in some cases, projects are already in place while others are moving through the process. Will the guidelines, when they are available, apply to existing plants and ones that are going through the process now?

Alan Dillon (Mayo, Fine Gael)
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The biomethane sustainability charter is the priority deliverable. It will chart the Government's commitment around many of the actions to which the Deputy has referred here in relation to ensuring that biomethane production in Ireland is environmentally sustainable.

The charter will undergo extensive consultation with key stakeholders and will inform the guidance of the biomethane implementation group. We want to have the best practice guidelines for the sector, covering water quality, land use and ensuring biodiversity protection and health and safety standards. The charter is all about ensuring we can scale biomethane production to ensure we meet our climate commitments, that it is done in a more environmentally sustainable manner and that we strike the balance between community concerns and our ambition to meet climate targets.