Ireland’s first biorefinery to harness the energy of cow manure could open in Tipperary by 2024.
Thurles based company Genos Resources is well on its way to securing commitment from 600 farms within 50 kilometres of the town, to supply the plant with manure.
This would then be decarbonised and processed into green energy and granulated fertiliser.
Operations Director for Genos, Leon Mekitarian, says they’re working with farmers at the moment to build supply:
“This is a process that will involve planning permission and site location. We’ve identified 4-5 suitable sites, and we’re in discussions with local authorities with regards to those.
“But the first stage is to get the farmers and supply chain signed up, and then we’ll go into the planning process. So we anticipate that the plant will be operational in early 2024, allowing a year and a bit for planning, and then a year for construction.”
The company says that a second biorefinery in south Tipperary could also be developed, pending sufficient demand. Leon says that farmers can also make significant income from the process:
“Every farm is different, but this would make a substantial contribution to farm incomes apart from the soft benefits of carbon capture, and avoided costs in reducing handling and management of slurries.
“But you could be looking at anything from €10,000 per year to €60-70,000 depending on the scale.”
