Posted on 1 day ago by Laurentina Kennedy
New 'grass to gas' plant being launched in Co Meath
A new "grass to gas" agricultural biomethane plant is set to provide enough energy to heat two pharmaceutical manufacturing sites by the end of next year.
The state-of-the-art plant is being launched by Carbon AMS in Duleek in Co Meath today.
The plant is a partnership between the anaerobic digestion company, local farmers and biopharmaceutical company Alexion, AstraZeneca Rare Disease.
Carbon AMS is focused on the production of biomethane in Ireland by converting "grass to gas" through anaerobic digestion.
When operational, the plant will cover 100% of the heating needs of Alexion's two manufacturing sites in Dublin and Athlone by the end of next year.
It will use grass and other agricultural feedstock provided by local farmers within a 15km radius of the plant.
'Sustainable, locally produced energy supply'
Those behind it say that it will ensure a "sustainable, locally produced energy supply".
Carbon AMS said it is the first large-scale biomethane contract with "additionality" in Ireland, meaning that the project will add renewable capacity to Ireland's national gas grid.
Construction is under way and is expected to be completed in the second part of 2026. The partnership represents an €80 million investment over 15 years to set up the facility.
The biomethane production process will use a purpose built anaerobic digestion system, in which microorganisms break down organic material like grass, in a sealed, oxygen-free enclosure.
This process produces biogas, which is then turned into biomethane, a source of renewable energy. A nutrient-rich by product is also produced in the process, and will be returned to farmland to enhance soil health and reduce the need for synthetic fertilisers.
Income stream for local farmers
The partnership also provides a new income stream for farmers in the locality.
Lunderstown Green Energy is a company set up by local farmers Donal Hartford and Brugha Duffy in 2021 with the aim of facilitating the development of this plant. The company will provide and manage the supply of feedstock with the cooperation of other farmers.
The biomethane gas plant is being built on the Hartford family farm in Duleek.
"We're 100 years on this farm... I've been farming all my life here," Mr Hartford said.
"I was just looking for an alternative to see if we could try and make a bit more money out of it and see where we could push the farm to," he said.
"We've had good support locally, if you look at our planning (application) we had no objections" Mr Hartford said.
"Hopefully now we'll be able to bring the farming community with us with an alternative option for them, to give them extra income on some crop that maybe we can take that they can't sell somewhere else."
"Donal will still be farming cattle, I will still be farming cattle," his partner in this venture, Mr Duffy said.
"I think the beauty of an AD (anaerobic digestion) plant is that it doesn't really remove the land from the food chain, so the same grass that feeds this plant can feed the cattle behind you, the same with the maize, it is a rotation, so any of the crops that come in here can still be used for animal feed. It's just an alternative land use, basically, to give farmers an option," he added.
Carbon AMS says the plant will produce 40GWh of biomethane from agricultural feedstocks including grass silage, whole crop silages and animal slurry.
It also says it will capture 7,990 tonnes of carbon per annum and reduce carbon emissions by using biomethane by 21,523 tonnes every year. It will also produce 45,000 tonnes of biofertiliser per annum.
The Duleek plant also marks the first of ten planned AD sites for Carbon AMS in Ireland over the coming years.
Alexion employs 1,400 people in Ireland across its two manufacturing sites in Dublin and Athlone. The company is focused on the specialist development, manufacturing, supply and distribution of AstraZeneca's rare disease portfolio.
Additional reporting by Laura Fletcher