Sod tuned on multi-million euro North Cork gas project
The sod has officially been turned to launch the construction of a €32 million biomethane central grid injection facility in county Cork.
Tánaiste Micheál Martin was in Mitchelstown to do the honours this week for the Gas Networks Ireland initiative.
The new central grid injection (CGI) facility will have the capacity to inject up to 700 GWh of renewable biomethane gas into the national gas network annually. This will contribute approximately 12% of the Government’s 2030 biomethane target.
It is also expected that the facility will reduce national CO2 emissions by an estimated 130,000 tonnes per year.
Biomethane also offers the Irish agriculture sector and farmers the opportunity to add a new revenue stream, as it is produced through the breakdown of organic material (feedstock).
Speaking at the sod turning ceremony, Tánaiste Micheál Martin said: “The Mitchelstown CGI facility will help us leverage Ireland’s agricultural potential to produce renewable energy, reduce our dependence on fossil fuels, and drive the transition towards a greener, more resilient economy.”
The development follows a successful market engagement exercise led by Gas Networks Ireland earlier this year, where a request for expressions of interest (EOI) to supply biomethane to the new CGI facility in Mitchelstown drew interest from 22 prospective biomethane producers. The combined potential production capacity from these plants is 1,862 GWh per year – equivalent to powering 217,000 homes.
Gas Networks Ireland CEO, Cathal Marley, said: “The substantial response to our recent EOI demonstrates the growing momentum behind Ireland’s biomethane industry. The 1,862 GWh of potential production from just 22 interested producers showcases the significant capacity of this sector to meet, and possibly exceed, our renewable biomethane gas targets.
“The Mitchelstown CGI facility is a key part of this vision, allowing for the injection of renewable gas into the national system and furthering our goal of a net zero carbon gas network by 2045,” he added.
The facility is part of the broader Green Renewable Agricultural Zero Emissions (GRAZE) project, which is designed to showcase large scale agricultural biomethane clusters that can be replicated across the country. The GRAZE project is supported by €8.4 million in funding from the Climate Action Fund.
The Biomethane Energy Report, published in September 2023, identified 176 projects across Ireland with the potential to produce 14.8 TWh of biomethane per annum, equivalent to 26% of Ireland’s current gas demand.
Mr Marley continued: “We were pleased to see the publication of the National Biomethane Strategy earlier this year. It’s a good start, and the introduction of capital grants is encouraging, but more positive supports such as obligations for end users, and a potential feed in tariff to ensure the viability of biomethane production would provide further momentum to the development of the biomethane industry, reduction of carbon emissions and the diversification of agriculture.”