Alan Kelly (Tipperary North, Labour)
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I thank the Minister of State for being here but I have to start by saying the tradition of Topical Issues being dealt with by the appropriate Departments and Ministers needs to come back. It is not fair on the Minister of State, Deputy Harkin. She is not in that Department. It is a retrograde step that any time there are Topical Issues here, the chances of having a Minister from the Department are few. There are three Ministers in this Department and not one of them could be here in front of the House. I do not think it is right.

I raise the issue of biogas plant across Ireland. We have a commitment with regard to 5.7 TWh of production by 2030. I was at a public meeting in Ballymackey outside Nenagh recently with other public representatives, and the idea of putting an industrial-scale plant into a small location like that, where you have to stop on the road to let another car pass, is absolutely bananas. It does not have the infrastructure for it.

I actually believe in these renewables and in this whole technology but given that we are going to have between 200 and 250 of these plants all over the country, we have to start asking serious questions about why we have not got regulations on this before we start doing it. Why have we not got planning guidelines on these before we start doing them? It is absolutely incredible that in 2025, we do not have planning guidelines or regulations regarding this technology, which we need. However, we also need to ensure communities understand and have rules around which they can engage on where these plants are going to be put in place, and that is not happening.

With regard to a number of these plants, whether they are currently economically viable is very questionable. The locations where some of these plants have been proposed are being fought across the country because there is a lack of public and community engagement. I have been a local TD and public representative of various strands for the last 20 years. The developer of this industrial plant just outside Nenagh, where I am from, never came near me. He may have gone to other Deputies but he did not come near me. The community has not been engaged with in any way, shape or form that is worth talking about.

We really need to look at how we are going to ensure there is a system in place for the regulation and planning of these. We also need to look at the economic modelling of them; what tariff is going to be in place; how many of them we need; how much they should be spread geographically with regard to our agricultural production across the country; where are they needed more than other places; what types of locations they should be in; or whether they should be urban or rural, on the edges of towns, out in small and isolated areas. We also need to look at the whole issue of regulation as regards European law, the water framework directive and the nitrates directive; how health and safety will come in here; and the role of the EPA, and the fact that the EPA does not have the regulatory powers with regard to this area either. We also need to look at the whole issue of food production and how this will impact food production into the future.

This needs a mapping plan. It also needs a regulatory plan and planning guidelines. None of this is in place. I have no doubt, as the Minister of State represents a rural area, that it will come to her home as well. Communities up and down the country are basically saying they respect that these technologies are needed and that we have targets to get as a country. However, let us not put the cart before the horse. Let us put in place the regulations, planning framework and the totality of what is required here on a national level, and then we move. At this moment in time, it is impossible for communities to actually do that.

Marian Harkin (Sligo-Leitrim, Independent)
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I thank Deputy Kelly, and I am happy to respond on behalf of the Minister. I am sure the Deputy, as a former Minister, will know the calls on Ministers and in some cases they cannot be here. In that context, I am happy to be here.

What the Deputy said is right. Biomethane will play a crucial role in Ireland reaching its decarbonisation targets and security of energy supply, and Ireland is uniquely positioned to develop a sustainable biomethane sector due to the nature of the agricultural sector in our country. I know the Deputy recognises that.

Government has committed to deliver up to 5.7 TWh of indigenously produced biomethane per annum by 2030. The national biomethane strategy is Ireland’s first major policy statement on biomethane and is an important milestone in the development of this indigenous sector.

The strategy sets out 25 actions to be delivered in the coming years to enable the development of the sector. Along with providing supports and policy certainty, these actions aim to improve the development timelines and economics of projects in order to meet the 5.7 TWh target by 2030.

Delivery of this ambitious target will require the development of a significant number of anaerobic digester, AD, plants throughout the country. Biomethane within our energy system will have multiple cross-sectoral benefits. Biomethane can replace natural gas in various sectors, reducing the need for imported fossil fuels, and I think the Deputy will agree that is an important objective. Biomethane is a carbon-neutral fuel, contributing to the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions. Biomethane production offers a sustainable way to manage organic waste, another crucial issue for Ireland. The development of biomethane industry can create jobs and stimulate the rural economy, and having an indigenous source of renewable gas improves energy security.

While ADs used to produce biogas and biomethane can bring significant benefits to the communities and local environment in which they are located, they are, as the Deputy rightly said, significant infrastructure that will impact on the environment, biospheres and local communities.

The Government recognises the urgent need for the introduction of planning guidelines for suitable locations for biomethane plants. Priority deliverables under the national biomethane strategy include actions 5F and 5G which will see the development of planning guidelines to support local authorities when assessing AD plants with planning applications and a review of resourcing requirements of key Government agencies to support development of the industry.

We need a clear understanding of AD technology and consistency of approach by our planning authorities when they are assessing AD projects to improve our planning and permitting processes. These guidelines of which the Deputy spoke will be developed by the biomethane implementation group, chaired by the Department of Climate, Energy and the Environment and in close collaboration with the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine, the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage, Teagasc and the SEAI.

Alan Kelly (Tipperary North, Labour)
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I am aware of the group. I also have a degree of sympathy in the sense that I believe the previous Government, of which the Minister of State was not part, did very little on this. The new biomethane group was set up. However, I would like the Minister of State to answer the following. When will the regulatory framework be put in place? What are the timelines on it? She has not told us. Second, in regard to planning, every county development plan in Ireland says something different on this. I have gone through a few of them and they say totally different things. How is that right? How can a national strategy be implemented spatially, and there is a spatial element to this given the nature of our agricultural country, when there actually are no planning guidelines? We need regulations in relation to a whole range of different things such as emissions and noise among others. However, we also need spatial planning. There is a tariff required here for how things are going to operate. None of this is done, and yet we are expecting local authorities to process planning applications on this in isolated rural areas where massive industrial plants will be put in place. It is nuts; it is crazy; it is bananas; it is just stupid.

I support this technology, but I want to see a plan where we know spatially and geographically where we need to put all of these, what size we need to put in each place, what tariff will be in place to make it economically viable, and what type of waste is going into all of these plants. We need to do so through a regulatory framework that exists, an economic framework that is viable and planning guidelines so that local authorities are not looking at this and saying they want to do the right thing from a climate change point of view but they literally do not have a clue or any guidance on it. I know the new Coimisiún Pleanála has basically said it needs advice from the Government in regard to the gas plant proposed for liquid gas in Foynes. Something similar needs to happen here. An coimisiún also needs to tell the Government in this regard that it cannot make decisions unless regulations and planning guidelines are in place.

Marian Harkin (Sligo-Leitrim, Independent)
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Ireland is recognised as having one of the greatest potentials for biomethane in Europe per capita due to our substantial agricultural sector. The Government's target of producing 5.7 TWh of indigenous biomethane by 2030, which is a little over 10% of our current natural gas use, will remain a Government commitment. The Deputy will know that an Irish anaerobic digestion and methane sector will bring highly significant benefits to the Irish economy, to our energy security and climate targets.

The Deputy asked for a timeline. I cannot give a timeline, I do not have it here, but I did say already that guidelines are being developed by the biomethane implementation group. I can certainly pass on the Deputy's request to the relevant Minister. The Deputy also mentioned about the type of waste. By using sustainably produced feedstocks, including grass silage, animal slurries and food waste resources, we will increase our circular bioeconomy, helping to build resilience in our local biological resources and environment.

It is recognised that these AD plants are significant infrastructure and, as the Deputy quite rightly said, require a full planning and permitting process to ensure consideration of a range of factors, many of which he mentioned. These include location, visual impact, land zoning plans, ecology, and the Deputy mentioned the economies, etc. As such, a key priority is the development of centralised planning guidelines for AD plants to support our local authorities. When finalised, these will be available on the biomethane information hub.

As I said, I do not have a timeframe but I will certainly pass on the request to the Minister.