Plans submitted for huge anaerobic digestion plant
An example of an anaerobic digester for the production of biogas for electricity generation. Stock image
Planning permission has been submitted for the construction of an anaerobic digestion plant near Carrick-on-Suir in Waterford.
The proposed plant would be constructed on a 7.7 hectare (19 acre) site, which spreads across the townlands of Curraghnagarraha, Reatagh and Curraghballintlea.
The plant is expected to be 3,482sqm and will be built on unoccupied agricultural land with access onto a public road.
The permission application notes that a 16% increase to traffic on Old Scrouty Road is expected during the construction, with the level of traffic expected to continue with waste deliveries from surrounding farms.
The plant is designed to treat up to 90,000 tonnes every year of predominantly locally sourced agricultural manures, slurries, food processing residues and crop-based feedstocks. A car park of 10 car parking spaces, three for electric vehicles and one disabled space, will be built if planning permission is granted.
The permission is being sought by Nephin Renewable Gas (NRG), an energy company based in Tipperary town.
The company says it is aiming to become "Ireland's leading biomethane development company". Nephin Renewable Gas is part of the Nephin Energy company, which is the largest domestic producer of natural gas in the country and owns a significant stake in the Corrib Gas Field off the coast of Mayo.
Anaerobic digestion plants take biological waste often produced by farming and convert it into a renewable energy source by allowing waste, such as sewage slurry to ferment and capturing the resulting gases.
Companies such as NRG produce natural gas from the bi-product of farm waste decomposition, which is then sold into the energy grid.
Once the farmland waste has decomposed, the remaining waste can be used as fertiliser.
At the launch of Nephin Renewable Energy in February of this year, the company's Managing Director said the company would make a "meaningful investment in Ireland’s rural economies and partnering with farmers to give them a real opportunity to benefit from the green energy transition".
Anaerobic digestion plants are becoming increasingly common, with the government putting an emphasis on such companies to decarbonise the country's energy sector.
At the time, the Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment, Simon Coveney TD, said that the production of biomethane through this process would "make a significant contribution towards our ability to reduce climate emissions" and create a revenue stream for farmers who would be able to sell their farm waste to such companies.
