Gas Networks Ireland has launched a biomethane pilot programme with the Malting Company of Ireland and Ahascragh Distillery, offering a practical decarbonisation pathway for energy-intensive industrial operations that are difficult to electrify, as reported by Irish Tech News.

Irish Tech News reported that the initiative centres on the use of certified biomethane in the kilning stage of barley malting at the Malting Company of Ireland's Cork facility, with the resulting malt supplied to Galway-based Ahascragh Distillery for whiskey production.

The kilning process, in which grain is dried using heated air, is the most energy-intensive phase of malting and requires consistently high temperatures. Gas Networks Ireland has identified this as precisely the type of industrial application where biomethane can substitute for fossil gas without requiring changes to existing equipment or operational processes.

Jennifer Harte, head of customer and communications at Gas Networks Ireland, said: "Reducing emissions in industries that rely on high-heat processing is a challenge for our customers. This initiative demonstrates the important role renewable that biomethane gas can play in supporting important Irish industries, like the food and beverage sector, to continue to produce high quality products, while reducing their carbon footprint."

Paul McGillicuddy, CEO of Malting Company of Ireland, said the results had been encouraging. "What has been particularly encouraging about this biomethane initiative is that we are able to continue operating using the same process and equipment. It demonstrates the real potential renewable gas has to help industries like ours reduce emissions in a practical way."

Gareth McAllister, co-founder of Ahascragh Distillery, noted the role of supply chain collaboration in meeting the distillery's sustainability commitments. "This collaboration helps reduce the Scope 3 emissions associated with the malt we use in our distilling process and shows the positive impact businesses can achieve when working together," he said.

Gas Networks Ireland has secured agreements with seven biomethane production plants to connect to the national gas network over the past three years, with additional contracts currently at an advanced stage of discussion.

The pilot is positioned as a replicable model for other high-heat sectors, including food processing and manufacturing, where direct electrification remains technically or commercially challenging.

Explore the full details of the Gas Networks Ireland biomethane pilot.