College Group Invests €30 Million in Biomethane Plant in Ireland

en.Wedoany.com Reported - Gas Networks Ireland has announced that College Group's new biomethane facility in Nobber, County Meath, has been officially connected to Ireland's national gas network. The project represents a €30 million investment and has an annual biomethane production capacity of up to 75 GWh, primarily processing commercial food waste and agri-food processing by-products through anaerobic digestion.

The project received €2.4 million in capital grant funding from the Irish government. Part of the biomethane produced will be injected into the national gas network, while another portion will be used by College Group for its own production facilities and newly acquired BioCNG vehicles. The company has also signed a biomethane offtake agreement with Flogas, with the gas to be used in the production of BioCNG fuel for heavy-duty vehicles.

The facility is located within the circular economy campus operated by College Group in Nobber. In addition to biomethane, the anaerobic digestion process also produces nutrient-rich digestate, which can be used as biofertilizer. College Group has disclosed that its operations at the Nobber site, which convert various types of waste into renewable fuel and energy, collectively reduce carbon dioxide emissions by nearly 200,000 tonnes per year.

This grid connection makes College Group the second large-scale biomethane producer in Ireland to connect directly to the national gas network as of August 2026. Previously, Bia Energy's biomethane facility in Huntstown, Dublin, with an annual capacity of 120 GWh, completed its direct grid connection. Gas Networks Ireland has now signed connection agreements with seven biomethane producers, and these projects collectively correspond to approximately 13% of Ireland's 2030 target of 5.7 TWh of annual biomethane production.