Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 24 February 2026
167. Deputy Colm Burke asked the Minister for Climate, Energy and the Environment to provide an update on progress made to date by his Department in relation to the National Biomethane Strategy, in particular regarding the development of centralised planning guidelines for suitable locations for biomethane and biogas plants; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [14759/26]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe Biomethane Implementation Group has been established to oversee implementation of the National Biomethane Strategy and delivery of the 25 key strategic actions to ensure the necessary infrastructure and supports are in place to aid development of an indigenous biomethane sector 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 and is comprised of a number of focused sub-groups, namely: Sustainability, Infrastructure, Industry, and Economic Issues. Membership of the group includes key Government Departments, State Agencies, and industry representatives.
The group continues to engage with action owners and key stakeholders to monitor implementation, and a full progress report on delivery of actions within the National Biomethane Strategy is now published on the biomethane policy information page on the Gov.ie website.
Although a very well-established technology in Europe with over 20,000 anaerobic digestor (AD) plants in operation, the sector in Ireland has been relatively small to date. However, there is a robust regulatory framework in place to underpin the development of the AD sector in Ireland further and harness the benefits of biomethane.
For example, plants involved in AD of animal by-products or derived products must be approved by the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine. Depending on the plants activity, various licences are required from the Environmental Protection Agency. Onsite health and safety is regulated by the Health and Safety Authority and the plants connection to the gas network is regulated through the Commission for Regulation of Utilities and Gas Networks Ireland’s procedures and standards.
AD and other integrated assets are required to undergo a planning process to ensure proper consideration of a range of factors, including location, visual impact, land-zoning plans, and ecology. Guidelines and requirements for these are currently set out through several Acts, policy documents, spatial strategies, and development plans. Projects above a certain threshold are also required to complete an Environmental Impact Assessment.
Finally, a biomethane implementation sub-group has recently been established to oversee the preparation of a support document to assist local representatives and planning authorities when assessing planning applications for biomethane plants. It is expected the support document will be finalised in 2026.
