Gas Networks Ireland has signed an agreement with Evergreen Agricultural Enterprises to connect a new €50 million biomethane production facility in Monasterevin, Co Kildare, directly to the national gas network.

The landmark anaerobic digestion plant will convert byproducts from Ireland’s distilling industry, such as spent grains and other residues, into renewable biomethane gas in support of the National Biomethane Strategy.

Once operational, the facility, which is under construction, will process up to 100,000 tonnes of distilling byproducts annually, producing up to 100 gigawatt hours (GWh) of renewable biomethane each year. That is enough energy to heat more than 8,000 homes, cutting Ireland’s carbon dioxide emissions by about 18,500 tonnes a year.

The project is one of several approved for funding under the Government’s €40 million National Biomethane Capital Grant Scheme, administered by the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine, which aims to accelerate biomethane production nationwide. Ireland plans to produce 5.7 terawatt hours (TWh) of indigenous biomethane by 2030.

Biomethane is chemically identical to natural gas and can be used in existing appliances, heating systems and vehicles. Produced from farm and food waste through anaerobic digestion, it is considered a carbon-neutral, renewable fuel that can be injected directly into the gas grid.

Evergreen’s Monasterevin plant will also feature an on-site greenhouse that uses recovered heat and liquid biofertiliser from the digestion process to grow vegetables for local donation, demonstrating the circular economy in practice.

Gas Networks Ireland’s head of business development Karen Doyle said replacing natural gas with biomethane was a key step in decarbonising Ireland’s energy system.

“Biomethane is a proven, scalable solution that can immediately reduce emissions in hard-to-abate sectors such as industry, transport and heating,” she said. “Projects like this one in Monasterevin highlight the enormous potential of biomethane to deliver clean energy, rural jobs and sustainable growth.”

Patrick Meade, director of Evergreen Agricultural Enterprises, said the facility represented “a major investment in the sustainable management of byproducts and renewable energy”.

“By transforming spent grains and agricultural residues into clean, renewable gas, we’re closing the loop and creating real value for the local community,” he said.

Visible from the M7 motorway, the plant will create up to 75 direct and indirect jobs during construction and operation, with potential for further expansion. Evergreen Agricultural Enterprises is owned by Patrick Meade and Katarzyna Kubizna through Evergreen K&P Holdings.

The deal marks the sixth biomethane production plant contracted to connect to the national gas network in the past two years, with additional agreements currently in advanced discussion.