Seán Fleming (Laois, Fianna Fail)
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101. To ask the Minister for Environment, Community and Local Government his Department’s plans to support the development of biomethane. [48951/25]

Darragh O'Brien (Dublin Fingal East, Fianna Fail)
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Government has committed to the ambitious delivery of indigenously produced biomethane by 2030. In response to this ambitious target, my Department, in partnership with the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine, published the National Biomethane Strategy in May 2024.

Implementation of the National Biomethane Strategy is an on-going process of collaboration across key Government Departments and Agencies. The Biomethane Implementation Group has been established to oversee implementation of this strategy and the delivery of the 25 key strategic actions to ensure the necessary infrastructure and supports are in place to underpin the development of an indigenous biomethane industry of scale.

Chaired by my Department, with close support from the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine, the Group reports directly to the Heat and Built Environment Taskforce on on-going progress. It continues to engage with action owners and key stakeholders to finalise a full progress report which will provide an update on key deliverables, including publication of the Biomethane Charter, and development of the Biomethane Information Hub and Communications Strategy. It is expected that this progress report will be published on Gov.ie shortly.

A priority action within the strategy is the development of the Biomethane Sustainability Charter. The charter is now finalised and is being prepared for publication. It will outline key requirements and best practices that anaerobic digestion developers, facility owners and feedstock producers should adhere to for the purposes of considering and protecting the local environment.

Government has also agreed to the introduction of a Renewable Heat Obligation Scheme (RHO) to ensure an increasing use of renewable fuels across the full heating sector. Biomethane will be a key fuel type that will be eligible under the scheme. The RHO will be vital for the development of Ireland’s indigenous biomethane sector, and our aim is to be ambitious and increase the obligation rate over the coming years as quickly as possible, as the scheme will play a key role in supporting the achievement of Ireland’s renewable heat targets.

The General Scheme of the Renewable Heat Obligation Bill was approved by Government in July, with implementation of the scheme scheduled to start in 2026. Officials from my Department are working with the Office of Parliamentary Council on the drafting of the legislation, which has been given priority status.

Jennifer Whitmore (Wicklow, Social Democrats)
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102. To ask the Minister for Environment, Community and Local Government if consideration will be given to reform the Public Service Obligation Levy to make it income-sensitive and progressive given its disproportionate impact on low-income households. [48995/25]

Darragh O'Brien (Dublin Fingal East, Fianna Fail)
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The Public Service Obligation (PSO) levy is a vital policy support for the development of renewable electricity to enable Ireland to reach energy and climate targets. Under the PSO, over 4.6 GW of renewable generation is supported through the REFIT and RESS schemes.

The PSO is set annually by the CRU to recover or return electricity consumers funds associated with renewable supports. It applies to all electricity customers and can be a charge or a credit depending on wholesale prices. For 2025/26 the CRU has set the monthly PSO charge at €2.01 for domestic customers. In contrast, the PSO was negative in 2022/23, resulting in payments to customers, and set to zero for 2023/24. Thus the RESS provides for consumer protection, whereby supported projects are required to credit monies to households and businesses when market prices exceed their RESS support price.

The PSO protects consumers by supporting investments in renewable energy at predictable prices and reducing reliance on importing fossil fuels. The PSO helps shield consumers from international price volatility.

The CRU administers the PSO within legislation and sets the PSO transparently each year in light of market conditions. Concerns on equity and energy affordability are addressed through broader, targeted measures outside the PSO. That includes the establishment of the National Energy Affordability Taskforce whose goal is to identify, assess and implement measures that will enhance energy affordability for households and businesses.

Any consideration of future changes to the PSO model would need to both deliver reductions in electricity bills for households and businesses and ensure that there continues to be a stable investment framework so that that Ireland benefits in the long term of its indigenous renewable resources.