Niall Collins (Limerick County, Fianna Fail)
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140. To ask the Minister for Communications, Climate Action and Environment if his Department can engage with a service provider (details supplied); if grants or assistance are available; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [21244/23]

Eamon Ryan (Dublin Bay South, Green Party)
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Any queries with respect to planning policy are a matter for the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage.

Anaerobic Digestion (AD) produces biogas which can be captured and used for renewable energy, and my Department has developed a number of schemes and initiatives designed to increase the energy generated from renewable sources, whilst also reducing greenhouse gas emissions in Ireland. These schemes include the grid scale, auction based Renewable Electricity Support Scheme (RESS), the Microgeneration Support Scheme (MSS), for smaller installations, up to 50 kW in size (30kWe for micro-renewable Combined Heat and Power), and the Support Scheme for Renewable Heat (SSRH).

The Renewable Transport Fuel Obligation (RTFO) provides for the incentivisation of the supply of biomethane in transport through the issue of additional RTFO certificates. The Renewable Transport Fuel Regulations 2023 authorises the National Oil Reserves Agency to issue additional renewable transport fuel obligation certificates for specified renewable transport fuels and, where those fuels are used for specific purposes or means of transport, to incentivise their supply. The renewable transport fuels specified includes biomethane, and under these regulations, biomethane/biogas supplied in the road or rail sectors, or in non-road mobile machinery will receive a 1.7x multiplier. Biomethane and other renewable transport fuels can contribute to further decarbonising hard to abate HDV and road haulage sectors.

In line with the agreed Sectoral Emissions Ceilings and the Climate Action Plan commitment to deliver up to 5.7 TWh of biomethane to further accelerate the reduction of overall economy-wide emissions. Chaired by the Department of Agriculture, Food and Marine, a dedicated Biomethane Working Group has been established to oversee an all-of-government approach to developing a National Biomethane Strategy which aims to deliver up to the 5.7TWh of indigenously produced biomethane by 2030. Development of an anaerobic digestion industry is at a nascent stage in Ireland and a primary focus of the Working Group is the examination of the types of supports necessary to develop this industry. CAP 2023 has committed to delivering the National Biomethane Strategy by Q3 2023.