Danny Healy-Rae (Kerry, Independent)
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1436. To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the number of grants paid out for the construction of anaerobic digesters, in 2024 and to date in 2025; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [58933/25]

Danny Healy-Rae (Kerry, Independent)
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1437. To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the total amount paid in grants for anaerobic digesters for 2024 and to date in 2025; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [58937/25]

Martin Heydon (Kildare South, Fine Gael)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 1436 and 1437 together.

My Department, together with the Department of Climate, Energy and the Environment, published National Biomethane Strategy in May 2024. This was Ireland’s first major policy statement on biomethane and is an important milestone in the development of this indigenous sector in Ireland.

As committed to under the Strategy, my Department launched the first capital grant programme for the industry on 7 August 2024. As part of the capital grant programme, 20% of total capital investment costs per applicant will be payable subject to a maximum level of funding of €5 million per project. This programme is funded by the EU Recovery and Resilience Programme, REPowerEU. My Department has partnered with SEAI to oversee the administration and ensure efficient delivery of the grant programme.

Capital grant letters of offer issued by my Department to the successful applicants in September 2024. As defined in the terms and conditions, applicants must have construction complete and installed capacity for the supported production facilities to produce sustainable biomethane by 31 December 2025. Applicants must also submit all supporting documents and a claim for payment by 14 January 2026. To date no requests for payment of grant aid have been received from approved applicants and no grants have been paid.

As the Deputy may be aware, an open day was held recently by the Irish Bioenergy Association to showcase their farm scale biogas demonstration project in Galway, funded by my Department under the European Innovation Partnership measure of the RDP (2014-2022). Payments made by my Department to this project in respect of 2024 and 2025 amounted to €65,807.56 in 2024 and €57,586.57 in 2025.