Westmeath has the potential for a biomethane industry which would produce enough renewable gas to not only replace all of the natural gas consumed by the 4,100 homes and businesses in Westmeath connected to the 192km of gas network in the county but would produce a surplus of the county’s gas needs and also reduce carbon emissions by almost 149,000 tonnes annually.
Nationally, Ireland has the potential for a biomethane industry, which would replace more than a quarter of natural gas on the national network, create significant new agri-income streams and reduce Ireland’s total emissions by almost 4 million tonnes per year - 6.5% of Ireland’s total emissions.
These are the main findings from the Biomethane Energy Report, which was launched last week by Gas Networks Ireland.
Structurally identical to natural gas, biomethane is a carbon neutral renewable gas derived from organic sources such as landfill, food waste and agricultural waste. Biomethane is fully compatible with the existing national gas network and existing appliances, technologies and vehicles. It seamlessly replaces natural gas to reduce emissions in heating, industry, transport and power generation.
The report is based on findings from responses to a market testing Request for Information (RFI ) issued by Gas Networks Ireland to current and future biomethane producers in October 2022. The report identifies 176 projects throughout Ireland that have the overall potential to produce 14.8 terawatt-hours (TWh ) of biomethane per annum, amounting to 26% of Ireland’s current gas demand. The RFI identified seven potential biomethane production projects and a biomethane ambition in terms of volume of 559 Gigawatt hours (GWh ) in Westmeath.
Ireland’s biomethane potential as outlined in this report, both in terms of potential project numbers (176 ) and in terms of volume of biomethane production (14.8 TWh ), demonstrate how achievable the Government’s target to produce up to 5.7 TWh of biomethane by 2030 is. Gas Networks Ireland is confident that, with the right structures and policies put in place the Government’s target can be achieved and possibly exceeded.
Biomethane is a very flexible gas that contributes to circular economies, as it can be made from farm and food waste. Its by-products include a digestate that can be used as environmentally friendly and highly effective fertiliser; and carbon dioxide, which can be used by other industries in for example the production of carbonated drinks. In Denmark – which has a population and agricultural industry similar in size to Ireland – biomethane now makes up 34% of gas on the national grid, just 10 years after the first large plant was built there.
The next significant step of Gas Network Ireland’s biomethane journey will be the development of a contract and tender process for the procurement of biomethane for its own use. This is aimed at replacing up to 50% of the gas we currently use in Ireland to operate the system.
In 2022, Ireland’s gas network transported 57.1 TWh of energy to Irish industries and households annually. This is almost twice the energy transported by the electricity grid at 32 TWh last year. If Ireland is to reach its climate action goals, the gas network needs to be decarbonised, and biomethane will play a significant role in this process.
