Gareth Scahill (Fine Gael)

While I have the Minister of State here, I will thank him for his recent help regarding the special area of conservation in Gorthaganny in Caher, west Roscommon, following the recent gorse fires. I thank him and his Department in that regard.

My question is on the national biomethane strategy. The Government published the national biomethane strategy in 2024. It sets out an ambitious scaling up from a few plants to 200 anaerobic digester facilities with an output of 5.7 TWh annually by 2030. The strategy is agriculture-led and farmer-centric and focused on using agricultural feedstocks like slurry and silage to create a new income stream for farmers. It outlines 25 key actions across five pillars: sustainability, demand for biomethane, bioeconomy and circular economy, economics, and enabling policy. Key supports include the upcoming renewable heat obligation to create market demand and capital grants for AD plant construction. The biogas and biomethane industry in Ireland offers significant advantages and opportunities including energy security, decarbonisation as we move away from fossil fuels, jobs and economic activity in rural areas, farm diversification in the production of silage and other feedstocks, water quality improvements, alternative organic fertilisers, and rural growth and development. Ireland's renewable heat obligation is a planned policy designed to significantly increase the use of renewable energy for heating across the country. The RHO is considered a crucial support mechanism for Ireland's broader climate targets including its ambitious biomethane strategy. It is expected to be implemented in late 2025 or early 2026. The Government has undertaken extensive consultation to finalise its design and ensure its smooth introduction.

Last autumn, with assistance from the Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland, the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine administered a capital grants support programme for biomethane plants. This was a 20% capital grant with a total budget of €40 million from RePowerEU funding. Some 18 projects were given letters of offer with a deadline for the completion of works of 31 December 2025. Only two or three of those projects have commenced as there is no market for biomethane because the Government is yet to publish and announce details of the renewable heat obligation, which is required to drive the market for biomethane produced and give investment certainty to the funders. I would appreciate it if the Minister of State could make a statement on the Government's commitment to the biomethane strategy and confirm the timeline and steps for the introduction of the renewable heat obligation.