An €80 million waste-to-energy plant is being constructed in Little Island in Co Cork.
Its backers say it will be the biggest project of its kind in the country and, once it is operational next year, will generate enough energy to power around 6,000 homes.
Stream BioEnergy is an Irish-headquartered developer, owner and operator of renewable biogas facilities across Ireland and the UK.
Since Stream was established in 2009 and has been involved in the development, construction and operation of renewable energy power plants across this country and the UK.
It already has plants in Northern Ireland and Scotland and currently employs 45 people.
At Little Island in Co Cork, Stream is investing €80 million in the construction of a renewal biogas plant, which will take 90,000 tonnes of domestic and commercial food and garden waste per year and turn it into 80 gigawatt hours of biomethane.
Stream said it will also produce renewable biomethane gas that will replace fossil fuels in hard-to-abate sectors
That is enough gas to power approximately 20,000 homes.
The waste will be supplied by some of the biggest national and regional was collection companies.
The plant will also be the biggest biomethane facility processing municipal food and garden waste in the country.
It will lead to a reduction in the production of the equivalent to 40,000 tonnes of carbon dioxide per year, contributing to the Government’s 2030 target for greenhouse gas emissions.
Stream said it will also produce renewable biomethane gas that will replace fossil fuels in hard-to-abate sectors, such as heating and transport.
The plant will also produce a biofertiliser by-product by recycling the nutrients in the food waste it processes.
The project is being part-funded by Goldman Sachs Asset Management and Stream said a significant proportion of the €80 million capital investment will be spent locally, among the civil, mechanical and electrical contractors who are building the plant.
The plant will generate around €4 million in annual expenditure
Around 100 people are employed in the construction phase and the plant will employ 20 people once it’s commissioned.
The company says that, once operational, the plant will generate around €4 million in annual expenditure.
“At a time when Ireland is under enormous pressure to decarbonise its heat and transport sectors, we are proud to have started construction on one of Ireland’s largest biomethane facilities,” Kevin Fitzduff, Co-Founder of Stream BioEnergy, said.
“This project will significantly contribute to Ireland’s decarbonisation efforts and make the country a more energy secure environment in which to live and conduct business.
“The gas produced at the Little Island plant will be injected directly into the Irish national grid. It will ultimately form part of Ireland’s renewable energy generation through Gas Networks Ireland.
“This represents another significant step forward for Ireland’s renewable gas sector and demonstrates the growing momentum behind biomethane as a clean, indigenous energy source,” Gas Networks Ireland Director of People Nicola Sweeney said.
“Biomethane has a critical role to play in reducing emissions across sectors that are difficult to decarbonise, while also enhancing Ireland’s energy security.
“Projects like this one in Cork highlight the strong potential of renewable gas to support both climate action and regional economic development.
“We look forward to working closely with Stream BioEnergy to progress the connection of this new facility to Ireland’s gas network, ensuring that the renewable gas produced here can be delivered to customers nationwide,” she added.