Gas Networks Ireland is transitioning to renewable gases for a clean energy future.
Gas Networks Ireland is aiming to fully decarbonise its operations , by carrying renewable gases on the network.
The company operates Ireland’s 14,758km national gas network, which currently supplies energy to over 720,000 homes and businesses across the country.
A cornerstone of Ireland’s current energy system, Gas Networks Ireland today delivers around one-third of the country’s total energy use.
Gas Networks Ireland’s Pathway to Net Zero, outlines how the network will fully decarbonise by carrying renewable gases, biomethane and green hydrogen in the pipeline, and ensuring a secure and reliable energy supply by supporting Ireland’s climate and energy goals.
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Biomethane
Biomethane, already flowing through the network, is a renewable gas generated through anaerobic digestion, this process breaks down organic materials like food and farm waste. Biomethane can be injected into the exiting gas network, helping to cut emissions in hard to decarbonise sectors such as transport, manufacturing and power generation.
Ireland’s first renewable gas connection was launched in 2019, and Gas Networks Ireland’s Central Gas Injection facility (CGI) is now under construction in Mitchelstown, Co Cork. This new facility is expected to significantly increase biomethane supply, potentially delivering around 12% of the Government’s 2030 biomethane target.
Meanwhile, Gas Networks Ireland is also extending its existing network in October they signed an agreement with Evergreen Agricultural Enterprises to connect a new €50 million biomethane production plant in Monasterevin, County Kildare.
Green Hydrogen
Green hydrogen, is a source of energy produced by wind or solar power, which splits water into hydrogen and oxygen in a process known as electrolysis. It is produced without the release of carbon dioxide (CO2), making it both a carbon free and renewable gas.
Gas Networks Ireland is currently working with Irish and EU partners to test and prepare the existing gas network to ensure they can safely use hydrogen blends and, eventually, green hydrogen.
The company is also a founding member of the Celtic Hydrogen Cluster project, which aims to develop a hydrogen network that can transport and store hydrogen produced from future offshore wind projects in the Celtic Sea.
Biomethane and green hydrogen will play a transformative role in Ireland’s future energy, there is an ambition that renewable gases will continue to increase leading to the development of two distinct networks: a national hydrogen network and a regionally focused biomethane network and supporting a clean energy future.
