A major new hybrid bioenergy park planned for Clare has been given the green light by An Bord Pleanála.

Dublin-based Carbon Sole Group Limited has been given permission to build the biomass renewable energy facility, which includes a biomass gasification and methanation plant, combined heat and power (CHP) plant, and battery storage facility on a greenfield site.

According to the developers, the 8.5 acre site, located just north of Shannon Airport, will use forestry by-products as fuel to generate up to 32MW of green energy per year, consisting of 13MW of advanced biofuels/biomethane, 14MWth of heat, and five MWe of electricity.

Electricity will be produced on-site as well as heat, which is proposed to be used in a district heating system.

The 20MW battery energy storage facility will help meet peak power demand consumption in Shannon and will connect to the 38kV substation to the south of the site, the application outlines.

The gasification and methanation plant will produce biofuels as biomethane for injection into the local gas grid or liquid natural gas for transport off-site.

Biomass source

The park will need 71,000 dry tonnes (133,000 green tonnes) of forestry products as fuel per year.

The developers state that this will be sourced from two streams: either directly from forest by-products such as round pulp logs, chips, or harvest residues, or from sawmill residues.

The 133,000 green tonnes can be supplied from 7,413 acres of forestry or circa 10% of the available harvest waste streams from forests in proximity to the site, the application states.

Much of this supply is already established by the private forestry sector to supply the Finsa plant in Scarriff, Co Clare (since closed), which used on average 160,000 tonnes per annum, the application outlines.

Objections

The application received nearly 40 objections and observations. Senator Timmy Dooley, Fianna Fáil spokesperson on Climate Action, Communication Networks & Transport, was among those who submitted concerns to the renewable energy development.

Among his concerns were that he felt no detail was given around the long-term viability of CHP and there was no obvious demand for heat. Fianna Fáil Cllr Pat O’Gorman also made an observation.

The application was originally granted permission by Clare County Council in 2021, but this was appealed to An Bord Pleanála.

The Bord granted permission subject to 34 conditions.