Richard O'Donoghue (Limerick County, Independent Ireland Party)
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342. To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine regarding the development of the National Biomethane Strategy, its progress to date; if there are any revised timelines that may now exist; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [8735/25]

Martin Heydon (Kildare South, Fine Gael)
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My Department together with the Department of Environment, Climate and Communications co-published an agri centric National Biomethane Strategy in May of 2024. This was Ireland’s first major policy statement on biomethane and is an important milestone in the development of an indigenous sector. Strategy development was guided by a working group which was chaired by my Department with input from industry through a public consultation process.

A Biomethane Implementation Group has since been formed and will underpin the delivery of the 25 associated actions of the strategy. This group is chaired by the Department of Environment, Climate and Communications who have responsibility for overseeing the implementation of the strategy.

My Department is a lead owner of a number of actions within the Biomethane Strategy and a number of these important actions have been delivered, and strong progress has made on the remaining actions.

My Department opened the first capital grant programme for the industry last Summer. €40 million of funding approved for this scheme has been sourced from the EU funded Recovery and Resilience Programme. Capital grant letters of offer issued to 18 applicants in September 2024.