Some of Ireland’s leading food and drink companies are supporting a big move into production of biogas, an emissions-free energy source from agricultural waste and energy crops. Diageo, one of the State’s biggest gas consumers – mainly through St James’s Gate brewery in Dublin – and Dairygold co-op are leading the way. Ireland, with its large agriculture sector, is considered the EU member state with best potential to exploit biogas. But a “renewable heat incentive” (RHI) to support this sector is absent. It’s urgently required, according to those prepared to back the green technology – Ireland is the only EU country without a RHI. Biogas comes with benefits: it’s a renewable energy source that farmers can help generate and it reduces CO2 emissions associated with farming, which are responsible for a third of Irish greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. Much of Diageo’s gas needs next year are likely to be supplied by Green Generation in Nurney, Co Kildare, an anaerobi...
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