Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine, Charlie McConalogue has today (Wednesday, August 7), announced the opening of applications for the €40 million Biomethane Capital Grant.
The scheme intents to assist with the development of the biomethane sector by providing a grant to aid capital investment for the construction of plants, including upgrades to existing biogas plants, as well as the development of new plants.
Applications will remain open until August 30, 2024. Successful applicants that meet the scheme eligibility and selection criteria are in line to receive grant aid of 20% of investment up to a maximum of €5 million.
The €40 million funding was announced by Minister McConalogue to kick-start the biomethane sector in Ireland as part of the launch of the National Biomethane Strategy in May this year.
Biomethane Capital Grant
To be eligible for the scheme, successful scheme applicants will need to comply with all the criteria set out in the terms and conditions, and provide a full and complete application form, providing all the information requested in the form.
Applications for the scheme must be submitted to [email protected] by close of business on August 30, 2024. Key criteria for the scheme include:
- Projects must be in receipt of fully approved planning permission by September 13, 2024;
- Approved projects must be completed and the claim for payment submitted to the Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland (SEAI) no later than December 31, 2025.
“The publication of the National Biomethane Strategy has created great enthusiasm within the sector. I plan on keeping this positive momentum going with the opening of this capital support scheme,” the minister said.
An expression of interest portal was opened on May 28, 2024 and closed on July 12, 2024. Within this timeframe, 46 applicants declared an expression of interest in the scheme.
The Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine (DAFM), through the Department of Public Expenditure, NDP Delivery and Reform, secured €40 million in funding to help support the initial development of biomethane in Ireland.
The government approved the inclusion of a biomethane section, upscaling a biomethane industry in Ireland, within Ireland’s REPowerEU chapter, which sets out that the DAFM is to receive funding of €40 million for a capital grant scheme.