Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine, Charlie McConalogue has said he expects the National Biomethane Strategy to be published in the “next couple of weeks”.
The final strategy is currently being considered by the various departments involved and the previously carried out public consultation has now been “fully considered”, he said.
“The various departments involved are considering the final report and I expect to see it brought to Cabinet in the next couple of weeks,” Minister McConalogue told Agriland.
National Biomethane Strategy
The primary objective of the National Biomethane Strategy is the delivery of 5.7 TWh of indigenous biomethane per year by 2030, which is the target set in Ireland’s Climate Action Plan.
A biomethane industry in Ireland can also help the agriculture sector meets its 25% emissions reduction target by 2030, according to the draft strategy which was subject to a public consultation earlier this year.
Opportunities for biomethane in the agriculture sector include diversification for livestock farmers, reduced emissions from animal waste, bio-based fertiliser, and carbon sequestration on land, the draft strategy states.
Biomethane is produced though the process of anaerobic digestion (AD) of organic feedstocks. Feedstocks that can be provided from the agriculture sector include plant material (such as silage) and animal manure, particularly slurry.
The strategy envisages the equal use of silage and slurry as feedstocks in an at-scale biomethane industry, and states that slurry from 1.3 million cattle will be required to meet the 5.7 TWh 2030 target.
The strategy also states that producing feedstock for biomethane from farms is not meant to compete with food production, and that the production of feedstocks does not result in any further intensification of farming.