Alan Dillon (Mayo, Fine Gael)

I thank Senator Lynch for raising this important topic, which is particularly important for her constituency in Cork. It is an important issue. I recently attended the all-Ireland summit on the bioeconomy. This was a really important summit that brought together key industry partners, academia and those working in the bioeconomy, the biomethane sector and the circular economy. There was significant discussion around where we can improve our circularity and how the Government has committed to delivering up to 5.7 TWh of indigenously produced biomethane by 2030.

Delivery of this target and the use of biomethane in our energy system will have multiple cross-sectoral benefits for Ireland’s economy, energy security and emissions profile. I think Senator Lynch agrees with that initiative. A first step to realising this ambition was the publication of the national biomethane strategy. The previous Ministers for the Environment, Climate and Communications and Agriculture, Food and the Marine published this strategy in May 2024. Subsequently, we have seen the most recent publication of the national planning framework. This will set out our sectoral climate targets across many of the regions across Ireland and will enable regional assemblies to formally look at strategic sites and planning to deliver on this ambition.

The biomethane strategy sets out the necessary policy and regulatory measures and provides a roadmap to developing a biomethane industry of scale in Ireland. The development of the strategy focused on a framework of five interlinking pillars seen as critical to target delivery. They are sustainability, demand for biomethane, the bioeconomy and the circular economy, the economics of biomethane, and enabling policy requirements. Each pillar has been aligned with 25 key strategic actions. Each action looks to address the challenges and support the opportunities anaerobic digestion and biomethane production have to offer.

Although this is a very well established technology in Europe with over 20,000 plants in operation, biomethane production and anaerobic digestion, AD, plants are considered a new form of technology in Ireland. A clearer understanding of AD technology and consistency of approach by planning authorities when assessing AD projects will improve our planning and permitting processes. Priority deliverables under the strategy include the development of planning guidelines - I know this is one issue Senator Lynch wants to be raised - to support local authorities when assessing AD planning applications and a review of resourcing requirements of our key Government agencies to support development of the industry. These guidelines will be developed by the biomethane implementation group, which is chaired by my Department, in close collaboration with the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine and the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage along with Teagasc and the SEAI.

I met recently with Gas Networks Ireland, GNI, which is committed to decarbonising our gas network by repurposing it to transport renewable gases - ultimately, hydrogen and biomethane. GNI has established a dedicated biomethane team. We are working through the guidelines in the biomethane implementation group. We have not yet published them but we will certainly work towards the objective of publishing them later this year.