Biomethane

The government is committed to the delivery of up to 5.7 TWh of indigenously produced biomethane by 2030. Delivery of this ambitious target will require the development of an anaerobic digestion (AD) industry at scale. A first key step is the development of a National Biomethane Strategy.

The National Biomethane Strategy was co-developed by the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine (DAFM) and the Department of Climate, Energy and the Environment (DCEE). Guidance was provided by a Project Working Group, chaired by DAFM, which drew on membership across government, under the auspices of the Heat and Built Environment Taskforce.

The Strategy is Ireland's first major policy statement on biomethane and is an important milestone in the development of an indigenous sector. It sets out the necessary policy and regulatory measures, and provides a roadmap, to developing a biomethane industry of scale in Ireland.

Read more about the National Biomethane Strategy

Biomethane Implementation Group

Chaired by DCEE, the Biomethane Implementation Group oversees implementation of the strategy and monitors overall target delivery. Group membership is comprised of relevant key government departments and agencies, as well as sectoral representatives.

Members are collectively responsible for ensuring action delivery, and reporting on progress directly to the Heat and Built Environment Taskforce.

Read more about the Biomethane Implementation Group - Terms of Reference

Target Monitoring and Reporting

The National Biomethane Strategy sets out the necessary policy and regulatory measures, and provides a roadmap, to developing a biomethane industry of scale in Ireland. The development of the Strategy focused on a framework of five interlinking pillars seen as critical to target delivery:

• sustainability
• demand for biomethane
• bioeconomy and the circular economy
• economics of biomethane, and
• enabling policy requirements

Each pillar has been aligned with 25 key strategic actions. Each action looks to address the challenges and support the opportunities anaerobic digestion and biomethane production has to offer.

Implementation of the Strategy and delivery of these actions will require concerted action across key government departments and agencies to ensure the necessary supports and infrastructure are in place to support the biomethane industry. The Biomethane Implementation Group will oversee implementation of the Strategy, measure its impact and monitor target delivery. The Implementation Group will report directly to the Heat and Built Environment Taskforce.

The Action Progress Report will be published here shortly.

The Charter sets out best practices guidelines to maximise the benefits of anaerobic digestion and will support an agri-led biomethane industry, whilst having regard to established goals for the protection and restoration of water, soil, biodiversity, and ecosystem services and protect against any unintended negative consequences.

It will apply to biomethane projects being developed in Ireland and in receipt of any form of public funded support or operating under a National AD/Biomethane support scheme. The Charter outlines the scope and vision for the biomethane sector, and best practices that participants in the industry should commit and adhere to during plant design, construction and operational phases of production.

The Charter will be published here shortly.