The first sod has been turned on a new biomethane central grid injection (CGI) facility in Mitchelstown, Co Cork.

The CGI facility will allow anaerobic digestion (AD) plants located too far from the gas pipeline to truck their biomethane via road to the facility, where the gas can be injected into the grid. Biomethane can be transported via specialised trailers.

The €32m facility is being developed by Gas Networks Ireland, supported by €8.4m in funding from the Climate Action Fund, and it is understood that biomethane producers will make a substantial contribution towards its build cost.

The Mitchelstown CGI will have the capacity to inject up to 700GWh of renewable biomethane gas annually, contributing approximately 12% of the Government’s 2030 biomethane target.

With the average-sized AD plant in Ireland expected to produce around 40 to 60GWh, this facility could provide a route to market for around 14 AD plants.

Given the location of this central injection point, it’s likely that mostly projects in the southern half of Ireland will be supplying it.

Feedstock

Gas Networks Ireland said biomethane offers the Irish agriculture sector and farming families the opportunity to diversify and add a new revenue stream through the supplying of feedstock to AD plants.

For reference, a typical 40GWh agri AD plant would create demand for feedstock from around 2,000ac of land.

This development follows a successful market engagement exercise led by Gas Networks Ireland earlier this year, where a request for expressions of interest to supply biomethane to the new CGI facility in Mitchelstown drew interest from 22 prospective biomethane producers.

Gas Networks Ireland CEO Cathal Marley said: “As Ireland pushes forward in its energy transition, projects like this in Mitchelstown will play a critical role in delivering clean, renewable energy across the country.”