Sean Fleming
Ceist:101. Deputy Seán Fleming asked the Minister for Climate, Energy and the Environment his Department’s plans to support the development of biomethane. [48951/25]
Amharc ar fhreagraThursday, 18 September 2025
Ceisteanna (101)
Freagraí scríofa
Government has committed to the ambitious delivery of indigenously produced biomethane by 2030. In response to this ambitious target, my Department, in partnership with the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine, published the National Biomethane Strategy in May 2024.
Implementation of the National Biomethane Strategy is an on-going process of collaboration across key Government Departments and Agencies. The Biomethane Implementation Group has been established to oversee implementation of this strategy and the delivery of the 25 key strategic actions to ensure the necessary infrastructure and supports are in place to underpin the development of an indigenous biomethane industry of scale.
Chaired by my Department, with close support from the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine, the Group reports directly to the Heat and Built Environment Taskforce on on-going progress. It continues to engage with action owners and key stakeholders to finalise a full progress report which will provide an update on key deliverables, including publication of the Biomethane Charter, and development of the Biomethane Information Hub and Communications Strategy. It is expected that this progress report will be published on Gov.ie shortly.
A priority action within the strategy is the development of the Biomethane Sustainability Charter. The charter is now finalised and is being prepared for publication. It will outline key requirements and best practices that anaerobic digestion developers, facility owners and feedstock producers should adhere to for the purposes of considering and protecting the local environment.
Government has also agreed to the introduction of a Renewable Heat Obligation Scheme (RHO) to ensure an increasing use of renewable fuels across the full heating sector. Biomethane will be a key fuel type that will be eligible under the scheme. The RHO will be vital for the development of Ireland’s indigenous biomethane sector, and our aim is to be ambitious and increase the obligation rate over the coming years as quickly as possible, as the scheme will play a key role in supporting the achievement of Ireland’s renewable heat targets.
The General Scheme of the Renewable Heat Obligation Bill was approved by Government in July, with implementation of the scheme scheduled to start in 2026. Officials from my Department are working with the Office of Parliamentary Council on the drafting of the legislation, which has been given priority status.