Ireland’s AD industry is in the initial stages of
development, with only a few tens of biogas plants currently in operation, and
just three plants focused on the production of biomethane. The injection of
biomethane in the Irish gas grid commenced in 2020; this is in contrast to key
players in the European biomethane landscape, Germany, Denmark, and the UK, who
have been injecting biomethane into the grid for over a decade.
Nonetheless, Ireland and its AD potential has
attracted the interest of a range of key stakeholders. Recently, the European
Commission identified Ireland as the country in the EU with the highest
potential per capita for biomethane development. Investors and AD
developers are also looking at Ireland, as it presents major development opportunities,
due to its nascent status, and with significant amounts of readily available
agricultural products and by-products, widely used as feedstock for AD. In
September 2023, Gas Network Ireland (GNI) published the Biomethane Energy
Report, which highlighted that 176 prospective producers had an interest in
developing projects in Ireland, outlining a potential to produce 14.8TWh of
biomethane every year.
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