Biogas plant will be ‘hugely beneficial’

The biogas plant proposed for Ballymackey would help Ireland meet its required renewable energy targets and should be seen as a positive move for the local area, promoters of the project told a public meeting in Toomevara last week.

Tim Cullinan said he had put a lot of time and effort into the project, the roots of which could be traced back to 2007 when he received planning permission for a biogas plant. The local farmer said he had also spent extensive time in Europe looking at similar facilities involving anaerobic digestate treatment.

Mr Cullinan said he wanted to find a sustainable away of treating farm slurry. The 200,000 tonnes of material processed at the proposed Ballymackey facility each year would be solely based on animal biproducts supplied by farmers in the local area.

The process would remove environmentally harmful phosphates and ammonia from the material. Plans included a mobile separator, dewatering plant and a water treatment system. “This is going to be hugely beneficial in improving water quality in the area,” Mr Cullinan commented. “The proposal we have is above and beyond EPA standards.”

HEAT FOR 9,000 HOMES

The gas produced at the plant - enough to heat 9,000 homes - would be fed into the national grid. Around 50,000 tonnes of the intake material would be used in the biodiesel industry. Another 50,000 would be sold as fertiliser and would cut back on the need to import chemical fertiliser.

The former national chairman of the IFA spoke of the lengths he went to in reducing the burden on farmers after the Government introduced emissions reduction targets for the various sectors of the economy. He believed the proposed facility in Ballymackey would further help the agriculture sector towards this end.

“We’re taking slurry and putting it into a controlled environment,” Mr Cullinan summarised of the proposal. “That 200,000 tonnes is being spread on lands at present.”

‘MISCONCEPTIONS’

The meeting was addressed by several people involved in the project, including Micheál Fogarty, who said he had 20 years of experience in the area of air quality and odour. He wanted to address “misconceptions” about regulations not applying to biogas developments. The Environmental Protection Agency Act, Air Pollution Act, and EU Birds and Habitats Directives set out procedures that must be complied with.

“We do deal in a highly regulated environment,” Mr Fogarty told the meeting. He maintained that there would be no noticeable odour if the facility is managed properly.

The meeting was chaired by Gerry Boyle, former Director of Teagasc, a member of the Climate Change Advisory Council of Ireland and a member of Arrabawn's board of dairy business. He also spoke of the need to tackle the “significant problem” of agricultural emissions.

Also among the speakers was Wessel Vosloo of Cork-based consultants the Planning Partnership. He said he was asked to join the project as part of a team of multi-disciplinary specialists working with different companies and organisations.

Kevin Monson, International Sales Manager at Weltec Biopower, spoke of how his company had built 420 biogas and biomethane plants around the world since 2001. Nine of these were in Northern Ireland; work began on the first in the Republic, in Kildare, earlier this year.Mr Monson told of strict adherence to EU health and safety legislation with control systems specially designed for these plants. “We wouldn’t be in business this long if we didn’t,” he commented.

Martin O’Looney, a consultant with Panther Environmental Solutions, informed the meeting that baseline ecology surveys have been carried out at the proposed site, including surveys of biodiversity and the water environment. Mr O’Looney said a traffic and transport assessment has also been conducted.

‘ELEMENT OF FEAR’

Gas Networks Ireland was represented at the meeting by Pádraig Fleming, Biomethane Programme Manager. He said the Ballymackey site would be linked to the national gas network by road; there is no proposal to CPO land. A road opening licence would be required to lay pipes.

Answering some of the questions raised by the attendance, Mr Fleming said the national strategy is geared toward building biogas plants of a larger scale. Past experience in Germany has shown that smaller scale plants are not economic.

Mr Fleming acknowledged that there is an “element of fear” around biogas, which is still a relatively new industry. But experience elsewhere has shown that they are safe and unobtrusive, he assured.