ADBA Northern Ireland Conference 

Biomethane: accelerating the energy transition. 

Dates: September 7th 

Time: 09:00-18:30, including lunch and followed by drinks and networking. 

Venue: ICC Belfast, 2 Lanyon Place, Belfast BT1 3WH 

Biomethane is on target to be flowing into the Northern Ireland gas grid from this September. It is the first small step on an ambitious journey to make the province a biomethane powerhouse and net exporter. 

The target of the gas transmission and distribution companies is to have a net zero gas grid in Northern Ireland by 2050. To achieve this will require the development of ~150 biomethane production plants. 

The transition is seen as a key driver of economic growth and job creation across the region. 

A collaborative research project supported by the Centre for Advanced Sustainable Energy (CASE) and Invest NI has found that Northern Ireland has the resources to produce more biomethane from agricultural waste and underutilised grassland than previously thought possible – over 6.12 TWh per annum.  

This equates to 82% of regional distribution network demand in 2021. The gas networks say this estimation is conservative as it does not include potential feedstock from dedicated energy crops or domestic and non-domestic waste. 

ADBA’s Northern Ireland Conference will consider the technical, policy, legislative and regulatory preparation being pursued to facilitate the decarbonisation of the energy system and the scale up of renewables gases in NI; plans to establish Bio-CNG infrastructure to support transport sector’s transition to renewable gas-powered vehicles; and inward investment opportunities. 

The full day Northern Ireland Conference will also consider the revenue potential of CO2 and optimisation of digestate as part of a nutrient management system and gateway to further bio-refining and revenue streams.