ADBA Northern Ireland Conference 2023

08:00 – 09:00 Registration

09:05 – 09:15 Welcome from ADBA Chair – Chris Huhne, Chair, Anaerobic Digestion & Bioresources Association

09:15 – 10:25 AD: A Win-Win-Win for the Environment, Energy and the Economy

Chaired & Moderated by Chris Huhne

Following the passing of the Northern Ireland’s Climate Change Act, the UK Climate Change Committee has said the province must maximise its biogas potential if it is to deliver on its net zero targets. This expert panel will consider the opportunities this represents and gain the latest government insight on the roadmap for the rapid scale-up of AD (Anaerobic Digestion) and biogas in Northern Ireland. 

Wasundara Doradeniya, Policy Analyst, ADBA – The Case for Biogas Now in Northern Ireland 

KEYNOTE:
Jonathan McFerran, Deputy Director of Green Growth and Climate Action Delivery, Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs (DAERA), Northern Ireland Executive – will update delegates on the work to date undertaken by the Interdepartmental Biomethane Group. 

Q&A 

10:25 – 10:55 Refreshments and Networking 

11.00-12.00 – ‘A Giant Leap Forward’: Biomethane Injection into the Gas Grid 

Biomethane is set to be flowing into the Northern Ireland gas grid by the end of the year.  It is the first small step on an ambitious journey to make the province a biomethane powerhouse and net exporter. The target of the gas transmission and distribution companies is to have a net zero gas grid in Northern Ireland by 2050. To achieve this will require the development of ~150 biomethane production plants. 

In this session we will gain insight into how this project will be delivered from the key players in achieving this milestone.

David Butler, Director, SGN Natural Gas  

Declan McLaughlin, Head of Projects, Bio Capital 

Veronika Gallagher, Regulatory Analyst, Utility Regulator 

Q&A 

12:00-13:00 – On-farm AD and Agriculture in NI   

A rapid scale-up of on-farm AD will be critical to Northern Ireland delivering its net zero targets, with both heat and power producers earmarked by the CCC to play a significant role. It will also serve to assist in the province’s drive to curb nutrient overload from manures and slurries while reducing input costs for farmers.  

This expert panel will consider the opportunities AD represents for farmers and the environment, and how to maximise ROI from its outputs. 

John McLenaghan, Deputy President, UFU 

David Porter, Director, RealisticAgri 

Q&A  

13:00 – 14:00 Lunch 

14:00-14.45 – The Opportunities for AD in Northern Ireland’s Circular Economy Strategy 

At the turn of the year the NI Executive launched a public consultation on its Circular Economy Strategy. A key component addresses food waste and DAERA is currently in the process of preparing a Waste Management Strategy ‘which will include policies that support the waste sector to retain as much value from materials as possible’. 

This discussion panel will consider the opportunities and key drivers for AD and biogas deployment in Northern Ireland’s transition to a circular economy.  

Rachael Hook, Head of Recycling & Waste Sector Climate Action Plan, DAERA 

Dale Guest, Chief Commercial Officer, Stream BioEnergy Ireland Ltd.

Emma Louise-Wells, Environmental Advisor, Business in the Community Northern Ireland (BITCNI)  

Q&A  

14:45-15:30 – Ask the Experts 

In this audience-led Q&A session, delegates will have the opportunity to ask all-things AD and biogas to a distinguished panel of industry leaders and experts.  

Professor David Rooney, Lecturer , Queen’s University Belfast 

Martin Doherty, Centre Manager, Centre for Advanced Sustainable Energy 

Iria Nicholas, Principal Process Engineer, SLR Consulting  

15:30 – 16:00 Refreshments & Networking 

16:00-16.30 – Funding Biogas Projects in Northern Ireland 

Policy levers in support of AD and biogas will be critical to funding the expansion of the industry in Northern Ireland.  

Russell Smyth, Partner, KPMG, will present an overview of the rapidly evolving net zero policy landscape and what this means for investors, developers and those seeking to expand their operations. 

Q&A 

16:30-17:30 – Further Opportunities for the Growth of the AD Sector in Northern Ireland  

In this closing session, we will discuss the emerging opportunities in the AD and biogas industry outside of heat and power, including biomethane for transport fuel and carbon capture for use or storage. 

Shane Doherty, Biomethane Development, Renewable Transport Fuel Services Limited (RTFS)

Mark Christensen, Bioresources – Business Development Manager, Nijhuis Saur Industries

David Hynes, Sales Manager, Pentair

Q&A 

Closing remarks from ADBA Chair Chris Huhne  

BIOENERGY INSIGHT

 

BIOGAS CHANNEL

 

BIOMETHANE RNG CHANNEL

 

For Sponsorship and Exhibiting Opportunities:

Maddie Hopper, Maddie.hopper@adbioresources.org

For Marketing and Event Enquiries:

Montana Hull, Montana.hull@adbioresources.org

Eduard Vyshnyakov, Eduard.vyshnyakov@adbioresources.org

For Payment-related Enquiries:

Angela Knight, Angela.knight@adbioresources.org