ASSOCIATION NEWS
Phoenix Energy hosted its fourth annual Renewable Gas Conference at the Titanic Hotel Belfast on October 23.
PHOENIX ENERGY GENERAL SALES MANAGER NEIL MCCRACKEN OFFERS A TRADE UPDATE ON HOW THE NORTHERN IRELAND NETWORK GAS ASSOCIATION (NINGA) IS HELPING TO BUILD A RENEWABLE GAS FUTURE… Collaboration is key to Northern Ireland’s decarbonisation goals
Neil McCracken, Phoenix Energy General Sales Manager.
I was delighted to attend the recent Renewable Gas Conference, hosted by Phoenix Energy on October 23 at the Titanic Hotel Belfast. The annual conference brings together a host of local and international industry representatives and policy makers to highlight and advance local opportunities to support NI’s decarbonisation objectives. Now in its fourth year, we celebrated the considerable progress that has been made and notably highlighted the important role our local policy makers must play to affect the pace of future change. It was widely acknowledged that Northern Ireland’s strong agricultural heritage presents a unique opportunity to utilise the large quantity of organic
waste produced to provide enough biomethane to displace natural gas entirely in NI’s distribution network, while simultaneously supporting the agricultural nutrient management vital to our natural ecosystem. It was fantastic to see the event supported by representatives from all political parties and key government departments; each responsible for developing and progressing policy and legislation to advance such opportunities. While it was evident that there are differing opinions on the implementation and level of carbon reduction targets, the need for an NI Executive Biomethane Strategy received strong cross-party support from all delegates. It was clear that the current NI Executive structure will require increased
coordination across DfC, DfE and DAERA policy development, and a number of the politicians present supported the idea that responsibilities for an NI decarbonisation strategy should land with a single department. The industry stands ready to deliver biomethane solutions, with a rich pipeline of projects in development and local large energy users demonstrating demand for biomethane in order to meet national and global supply chain needs. DfE’s recently-published Energy Action Plan makes a clear commitment to support the sustainability of biomethane being used in the gas network, yet it is evident that in order to achieve 2050 targets we must urgently accelerate the pace of policy delivery. With c.60% of all energy consumed in NI
“The need for a NI Executive Biomethane Strategy received strong cross-party support from all delegates.”
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