“The Government has a target of trying to produce 5.7 Tera Watt Hours (TWh) of biomethane through the construction of 200 anaerobic digestion (AD) plants by 2030. If the Government is serious about this, it will require a lot more funding than €40m. Countries such as Denmark have successfully developed a biomethane sector, but they committed multiples of this figure in funding,” he said.
“There are also other logistical issues that need to be ironed out, including the classification of the by-products such as digestate,” he said.
“Overall, there is certainly potential to develop an indigenous AD industry in Ireland, but the discussion needs to be much more inclusive of farmers or there is a real danger that AD will become the preserve of big business,” he said.
IFA Farm Business chair, Bill O’Keeffe said the National Biomethane Strategy has to be farmer led if it’s to succeed. He added that, given the scale of the investment required, incentives will be needed to convince farmers to participate.
“Government-backed finance, similar to Growth and Sustainability Loan Scheme (SBCI), should be provided to enable farmers to invest. Support for the construction of viable AD plants and storage will have to come from the Department of Energy and Climate Change,” he said.