A total of 28 ‘expressions of interest’ have been registered in relation to the €40 million Biomethane Capital Grant.
According to the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine, Charlie McConalogue, the grant is available to “kickstart an agri-led biomethane industry”.
“Anaerobic Digestion (AD) has a critical role to play in the coming years.
“The National Biomethane Strategy was approved last month. A successful biomethane industry will assist farmers with the decarbonisation of agriculture, while also providing diversification opportunities for farmers,” the minister stated.
The Climate Action Plan 2023 included a commitment to “supporting delivery of up to 5.7TWh of indigenously produced biomethane by 2030”.
Biomethane
Minister McConalogue has outlined that AD plants currently operating to produce biogas will be eligible for capital support to upgrade their facilities to produce biomethane and other biobased products, along with new AD plant.
“While all sustainable feedstocks will be eligible to apply for this initial capital funding, a key aim of the initial grant support will be to develop an agri-led AD plant,” he added.
The capital grant is funded by the European Union Recovery and Resilience Facility and the the expression of interest window in relation to the grant closed last week.
According to the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine (DAFM) the 28 expressions of interest received in relation to the capital grant reflects “the large interest that there currently is in development of the sector in Ireland”.
DAFM has “partnered” with SEAI to oversee the administration of the capital grant.
Minister McConalogue said that he believes a successful biomethane industry will “have a significant role to play in contributing to energy security, as well as the decarbonisation of the energy system by displacing approximately 10% of fossil gas by 2030”.
DAFM has confirmed that any party who registered an interest in the €40 million grant and who “meets the initial required criteria” will now receive an application form in the coming weeks.