John Paul O'Shea (Cork North-West, Fine Gael)
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217. To ask the Minister for Environment, Community and Local Government for an update on his Department's input into the regulatory framework governing the biomethane sector in Ireland; to outline in detail the actions in that framework which his Department is responsible for; and if he will provide an update on the progress of same. [68682/26]

John Paul O'Shea (Cork North-West, Fine Gael)
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226. To ask the Minister for Environment, Community and Local Government if he can outline the planning regulations that are currently in place for the development of Biomethane plants; and if he will advise if there are specific regulations in relation to buffer zones and minimum setback distances. [68521/26]

Darragh O'Brien (Dublin Fingal East, Fianna Fail)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 217 and 226 together.

To assist in the achievement of Ireland's evolving national and EU climate and energy commitments, Government has committed to support the ambitious delivery of indigenously produced biomethane by 2030. To achieve this, my Department, in partnership with the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine, published the National Biomethane Strategy in May 2024.

Delivery of indigenously produced biomethane and its use within our energy system will have multiple cross-sectoral benefits for Ireland’s economy, energy security and emissions profile. As such, development of the industry will require a coherent and collaborative approach to policy implementation across all sectors including energy, agriculture and enterprise.

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 the Strategy and the delivery of the 25 key strategic actions to ensure the necessary infrastructure and supports are in place to aid development of an indigenous biomethane industry of scale.

The Group continues to engage with action owners and key stakeholders to monitor implementation, and a full progress report on delivery of actions within the National Biomethane Strategy is now published on the Biomethane policy information page on the Gov.ie website.

In addition to the National Biomethane Strategy, as the primary policy document for the development of biomethane plants in Ireland, the Biomethane Environmental Sustainability Charter has also been developed and is available on the Gov.ie website.

Anaerobic Digestion (AD), although a very well-established technology in Europe with over 20,000 plants in operation, has been a relatively small sector in Ireland to date. However, there is a robust regulatory framework in place to underpin the further development of the AD industry in Ireland and harness the benefits of biomethane.

For example, plants involved in AD of animal by-products or derived products must be approved by the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine. Depending on the plants activity, various licences are required from the Environmental Protection Agency. Onsite health and safety is regulated by the Health and Safety Authority and the plants connection to the gas network is regulated through the Commission for Regulation of Utilities and Gas Networks Ireland’s procedures and standards.

AD and other integrated assets are required to undergo a planning process to ensure proper consideration of a range of factors including location, visual impact, land-zoning plans, and ecology. Requirements for these are currently set out through several acts, policy documents, spatial strategies, and development plans. Projects above a certain threshold are also required to complete an Environmental Impact Assessment.

My Department has had engagement on the development of planning guidelines for AD facilities through a sub-group that was convened as part of the Biomethane Implementation Group to specifically examine such document. The support document to assist local representatives and planning authorities when assessing planning applications for biomethane plants is now being developed and is anticipated to be finalised in 2026.