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Certificates will be issued for every megawatt hour injected into the national network, with the aim of providing certainty for customers and an incentive for gas producers.
Ireland now has a formal certification process for renewable gases such as biomethane and hydrogen entering the national network.
Following EU renewable energy regulations that were passed into Irish law recently, Gas Networks Ireland has been appointed as the body responsible for issuing Guarantees of Origin certificates for renewable gases.
This means the national gas operator will now issue Guarantee of Origin certificates to producers of renewable gas for every megawatt hour of renewable gas injected into Ireland’s national gas network.
Issuance will be in accordance with a supervisory framework that will be established by the Commission for Regulation of Utilities.
“Each certificate represents Gas Networks Ireland’s guarantee that the equivalent amount of renewable gas has been injected into the gas network,” said David Kelly, Gas Network Ireland director of customer and business development.
“By providing an objective means of tracking the commercial transactions of renewable gas through the supply chain, Ireland’s Renewable Gas Registry will help establish trust in the market and confidence in the renewable gas sector.”
Kelly added the registry will also support the expansion of production, providing “certainty for customers and an incentive for gas producers to inject renewable gas into the network”.
Carbon-neutral biomethane made from farm and food waste began replacing natural gas in Ireland in small volumes in 2019. This was done via the country’s first renewable gas injection point in Cush, Co Kildare.
Gas Networks Ireland said it is currently preparing to build a second injection facility in Mitchelstown, Co Cork.
It is also working to understand the full potential of hydrogen – which can be produced from renewable electricity – in Ireland and ensure that the gas network is capable of safely transporting and storing both blended and 100pc hydrogen in the future at its new Network Innovation Centre in Citywest, Co Dublin.
Gas Networks Ireland, which operates Ireland’s €2.7bn national gas network for more than 710,000 homes and businesses, has been issuing renewable certificates on a voluntary basis since 2020 while awaiting appointment as the body for renewable gas Guarantees of Origin.
Kelly said that the latest move is a result of significant growth in demand from businesses looking to source sustainable and indigenous fuel alternatives.
“Many large energy users wish to procure renewable gas because they recognise the importance of reducing their carbon footprint and moving towards a more sustainable future for their company and customers.”
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