It was great to participate in the Irish Bioenergy Association (IrBEA) webinar on the National Biomethane Strategy, released last week by the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine on behalf of Government of Ireland.

I was on a panel with Seán Finan and Noel Gavigan of Irish Bioenergy Association (IrBEA), Paddy Phelan of South East Energy Agency, Declan Murray of Biocore Environmental and Paul O’Brien of Irish Farmers Association.

I was speaking in my capacity as Chairman of Arigna Group and Co Founding Director of LeBruin giving a funding / investment perspective on the strategy.

My key takeaway points from the discussion:

– IRBEA welcomes the national biomethane strategy as a key foundation stone for biomethane production in Ireland.

– There was disappointment that the incentivisation focussed on capital grants rather than price/demand supports which is the approach taken in most other countries.

– A key component of the biomethane strategy is the Renewable Heat Obligation (RHO) as this will give some visibility on price and until the details are made public later this year, progress is stalled.

– The nature of investment funding is significantly impacted by the decision not to offer price/demand supports as there is higher risk in projects. Funding will be more expensive and harder to find. Relatedly as the scheme stands, it is unlikely that the smaller plants will get external funding.

– Given the reliance of biomethane production on silage as feedstock, the farming community needs to be involved and treated fairly if it is to become engaged.

Watch the webinar HERE.