Proposal for €80m biogas plant at The Downs
Westmeath County Council have received a planning application for an €80m renewable biogas plant capable of processing up to 99,000 tonnes of organic material annually at Newdown, The Downs, Westmeath.
Planning consultants McCutcheon Halley, on behalf of Stream BioEnergy Ireland Limited, lodged the application with the local authority planning office for a 10-year planning permission for the development on a 4.63-hectare site within the proposed Flynn Renewable Energy Park.
The submitted plans say the facility would process source-segregated food waste, agri-food organic materials and agricultural manures to produce up to approximately 80 GWh of renewable biomethane each year for injection into the national gas network.
The proposed development includes a large main process building, administration and control buildings, digesters and digestate storage, feedstock tanks, a biogas upgrading plant, carbon dioxide liquefaction plant, combined heat and power units, boiler, gas flare and gas grid entry infrastructure.
The company behind the project say the renewable biomethane produced replaces fossil fuel natural gas in the gas grid and provides enough energy for the needs of up to 7,000 Irish homes.
They also say it will reduce greenhouse gas emissions by up to 33,000 tonnes of CO2e per annum.
The proposal has significant links with plans for an anaerobic digestion facility in The Downs which received planning permission from Westmeath County Council in 2020.
At the time, Thomas Flynn of The Downs, through his company Bio Agrigas, said organic waste would be sourced locally for the facility, and biomethane and digestate produced would be the two main outputs.
“I’ve been working on that since 2011,” Thomas. “We have the permission got twice already. This is a slightly larger application and it incorporates bringing gas to the grid rather than electricity.”
The application comes in the same week that Minister Darragh O’Brien has opened an expression of interest process for the €200 million Biomethane Capital Grant Scheme, supporting projects towards Ireland’s 5.7 TWh biomethane target. Sustainable gas is seen as a vital strand in Ireland’s renewable energy plans. Also this week news came that Britain’s gas storage levels are at a decade-long low, while the UK’s largest gas storage facility is facing closure as stockpiles near empty.
Wars in the Middle East and Ukraine continue to constrain supplies and push up prices. Thomas says that affect Ireland as well: “It could be worse for us. We’re at the end of the pipeline.”
Anaerobic digestion can reduce organic waste going to landfill while producing renewable energy. The resulting digestate can also be used as an organic fertiliser, returning nutrients to agricultural land.
“I’m involved in the Irish Bioenergy Association for the last number of years,” Thomas said. “We recognise the need for renewable gas, but also the byproducts of fertiliser for farms.”
If approved, the project will have an interesting consequence for The Downs: “It’s a very valuable piece of infrastructure,” Thomas said.
“The gas pipeline will be coming out to The Downs as well, which is a priceless asset to our area. That’s a two-way pipeline, it’ll supply gas to houses as well as to businesses and it’s renewable gas. We’re not digging up the ground, we’re not fracking, we’re not doing anything to damage the environment.”
The latest application describes the proposed facility as a renewable energy development under the Renewable Energy Directive III.
Morgan Burke, chief operating officer at Stream BioEnergy, said: “This €80 million proposal is an exciting investment into Westmeath that will create 75 jobs during construction and 16 permanent jobs when operational. Importantly, this facility will help reduce Ireland’s reliance on imported natural gas and support the transition to cleaner, renewable energy”.
The planners received the application last week and anticipate reaching a decision on following the statutory planning process at the end of November.