Construction has started on Ireland’s largest agricultural-based biomethane facility in Ballinrobe, County Mayo, alongside an offtake agreement between project developer Nephin and energy supplier Flogas.
The agreement will see Flogas purchase renewable gas produced from three anaerobic digestion plants, the first in Nephin’s planned nationwide rollout.
Together, the facilities are expected to generate more than 250 gigawatt-hours of biomethane annually - enough to supply heating for over 33,000 households.
The Ballinrobe site is scheduled to come online in 2027 and will convert around 90,000 tonnes of agricultural residues into more than 85 GWh of renewable gas each year.
The project is also forecast to support over 100 jobs, both directly and indirectly, while contributing an estimated €200 million to the local economy across its lifetime.
Ownership of the Ballinrobe project and its sister plants positions Nephin as a major player in Ireland’s green gas sector, while Flogas’s involvement provides a market pathway for the energy produced.
The partnership is being described as Ireland’s largest deal of its kind and supports the Government’s target of producing 5.7 terawatt-hours of biomethane annually by 2030.
Government representatives have welcomed the development, highlighting its potential to create rural employment, reduce emissions, and strengthen Ireland’s energy independence.
Nephin and Flogas begin work on Mayo biomethane facility
Photo: (l-r) Tom O’Brien, Group Chief Executive of Nephin Energy with Alan Dillon TD, Minister of State at the Department of Enterprise, Tourism and Employment and at the Department of Climate, Energy and the Environment, Donal Murphy, Chief Executive of DCC, Graeme Lochhead, MD of Nephin Renewable Gas and John Rooney, Managing Director Flogas Ireland. (Pic: Robbie Reynolds)
Photo: (l-r) Tom O’Brien, Group Chief Executive of Nephin Energy with Alan Dillon TD, Minister of State at the Department of Enterprise, Tourism and Employment and at the Department of Climate, Energy and the Environment, Donal Murphy, Chief Executive of DCC, Graeme Lochhead, MD of Nephin Renewable Gas and John Rooney, Managing Director Flogas Ireland. (Pic: Robbie Reynolds)
