Bioenergy should be central to Ireland’s Bioeconomy Action Plan – IrBEA

The organization highlighted some general points regarding the emerging sector, and in particular, the role the bioenergy sectors of solid biomass, biogas/biomethane, liquid biofuels, and biochar must play in the successful development of a bioeconomy in Ireland.

The potential for the growth and development of a mainstream bioeconomy here in Ireland is huge with bioenergy being a key enabler of this potential. In order for this growth and potential to be realized, a carefully developed, actionable, and resourced action plan is required from Government. This will require ongoing collaboration across a wide range of stakeholders and across Government departments, a continuous focus on scaling technologies and processes beyond the laboratory, as well as a sustained communication and outreach campaign targeting all walks of life, to enable the transition to a biobased economy with bioenergy being a central pillar, said Stephen McCormack, Project Executive at IrBEA.

IrBEA notes that many stakeholders are currently key enablers of the bioeconomy and are already actively involved in the bioeconomy space, but they do not realize it. They are operating both here and abroad.

These stakeholders include biofuel producers, technology providers, designers and installers, supply chains and logistics responsible for mobilizing biomass feedstocks, biomass analytical companies, researchers, farmers, and foresters.

Bioenergy is very important to develop supply chains that potentially in the future could evolve to feed an emerging bioeconomy.

The bioeconomy and the bioenergy sector are intrinsically linked and wholly complimentary. The successful development of a bioeconomy here in Ireland will depend first and foremost on the mobilization of biomass feedstock – an activity many IrBEA members have been involved in for many years, said Seán Finan, CEO of IrBEA

Current Government policy does not strongly focus on the development of biomass supply chains with favourable incentives and support. Biomass supply chains have the potential to be evolved and diversify into the future to satisfy a growing bioeconomy as it develops and matures. But without the supply chains being developed for bioenergy purposes in the short to medium term, this bioeconomy potential will not be realized. Bioenergy’s ability to offer a renewable alternative to fossil fuel use as well as the cascading principle of biomass use, as outlined in the action plan, allows for bioenergy to potentially power biorefining sites but also allow for energy recovery from any biomass fractions that aren’t converted into other products, Seán Finan said.

Some of the general points made by IrBEA in response to the Bioeconomy Action Plan consultation include the following:

• The mobilization of biomass feedstocks will become increasingly important and many IrBEA members are already active in this space.
• Technology options should be considered across the spectrum of cost and complexity – both high-tech and low-tech.
• Cascading principle of biomass use – allows for bioenergy to not only power the production of biobased products and services but also allow for energy recovery from unused biomass fractions or end-of-life material.
• Enhanced activities with Higher Education Institutions are required to ensure a pipeline of expertise and talent to service the needs of the emerging sector.
• There is a strong need for ongoing communications activities, outreach campaigns, and a ground-up approach to embedding the bioeconomy across all walks of life.
• An emerging bioeconomy can continue to provide further decarbonization opportunities for the transport sector through the provision of sustainable transport biofuels.

In making this submission and, with our ongoing involvement in the National Bioeconomy Forum, IrBEA will continue to work on behalf of its members and industry stakeholders, many of whom are already championing the innovation required to develop the sector. We will also seek to assist and inform others who are looking for new and exciting diversification opportunities – everyone from our farming members right up to other members involved in research and development. A well-developed Bioeconomy Action Plan will enable the sector to flourish, concluded Stephen McCormack.