Bio-waste management company College Group has connected its new €30m anaerobic digestion (AD) plant to the national gas grid.
The plant, located at its premises in Nobber, Co Meath, will produce renewable biomethane gas, which will be injected into the grid to displace fossil natural gas.
The gas will also be used to power College Group’s own operations and BioCNG vehicles.
Structurally identical to natural gas, biomethane is a renewable gas that can be produced from farm and food waste, crops and other by-products through a natural biological known as AD.
Grant
College Group is the second AD plant to connect directly to the national gas network.
The facility, which received €2.4m in Government capital grant support, has an annual production capacity of up to 75 giga-watt hours (GWh) of biomethane.
College Group, which has been operating since 1989, now employs more than 150 people and has developed into one of Ireland’s leading integrated circular bioeconomy platforms, converting agri-food and organic waste streams into high-value, low-carbon products.
College Group also has an offtake agreement in place with Flogas for the remainder of the biomethane.
Connections
Gas Networks Ireland currently has connection agreements with seven producers. Together, these seven contracted AD plants represent almost 13% of the State’s target of reaching 5.7 tera-watt hours (TWh) of biomethane production by 2030.
Initially, around 200 AD plants are envisaged as being required to meet the 2030 target.
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