Harmen will provide the view from Europe, as Ireland seeks to catch up with EU counterparts in establishing biomethane production. The EBA works with European institutions, industry, agricultural partners, NGOs and academia, to develop policies which can enable the large-scale deployment of renewable gases and organic fertilisers throughout Europe, supported by transparent, well established sustainability certification bodies.

Damien O’Reilly is the EU Affairs and Communications Manager for the Irish Co-operative Organisation Society (ICOS). He was appointed to the role in November 2022 and is based in the ICOS office in Brussels. Damien has also been recently appointed as Vice-chairman of the Cogeca Co-ordination Committee. Cogeca is the European umbrella body for co-operatives and represents co-ops from across the EU. From 1998 to 2022, Damien worked for RTE Radio 1 and presented the award-winning Countrywide. He also worked as a presenter and producer on a wide range of news, sport, and current affairs programmes including three Olympic Games in Beijing (2008), Rio (2016), and Tokyo (2021). Damien is also a founder member and current Vice-President of the European Network of Agricultural Journalists.

Stephen’s focus is on renewable energy opportunities in the agricultural industry. Stephen, who is from a tillage farming background in Donegal and is involved with a community anaerobic digestion project, had previously worked as a tillage, ag innovation and renewables specialist with the company for 5 years. Stephen has an undergrad degree in agribusiness management from UCD and an MSc in Agricultural innovation support from Teagasc/UCD with a focus on bioenergy.

Teresa is a Founding Partner and Co-Head of Ara Partners Infrastructure Investment platform. Ara Partners, founded in 2017, specializes in industrial decarbonization investing and targeting middle-market investments across the industrial & manufacturing, chemicals & materials, energy efficiency & green fuels and food & agriculture sectors.

Teresa has more than twenty years of sustainable investing expertise with extensive renewable power energy infrastructure experience. Prior to Ara, Teresa held several senior roles at BlackRock including being a founder of BlackRock’s Global Renewable Power Infrastructure platform and Global Head of Sustainable Investing for BlackRock’s $300bn+ Alternatives business. Prior to BlackRock she worked for some of the world’s pioneering wind development companies including Airtricity. She started her career at Arthur Andersen.

Brugha Duffy operates his family’s suckler and beef cattle farm in Co. Meath on a part time basis, he is also a mechanical engineer and has worked across a variety of industries ranging from semiconductor manufacturing, pharmaceutical, waste to energy and power generation.

In 2020 Brugha and his business partner Donal Hartford started the planning application process for an agricultural anaerobic digester located on Donal’s farm near Duleek village in Co. Meath in partnership with CarbonAMS and were granted planning permission in 2022.

Proposed plant will inject biomethane into the national gas distribution grid, supply biogenic CO2 to consumers and will incorporate a digestate nutrient recovery facility when operational.

Kieran Tarpey is Managing Director of Entrust Planning & Environmental Consultants based in Galway and member of both the Irish Planning Institute and Royal Town Planning Institute. Kieran has extensive planning experience and expertise spanning 30 years, dealing with strategic infrastructure projects in the Wireless Telecoms, Onshore Wind, Solar PV, Electricity Grid, BESS, EV and Heat Network sectors where he has overseen the delivery of over 1GW of consented renewable energy projects and has recently been introduced to the biomethane sector.

With over 30 years’ experience within the Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs, Jonathan is currently DAERA’s Green Growth Deputy Director and leads on work around Anaerobic Digestion and the sustainable utilisation of livestock slurry. He will be presenting on how nutrient management is key in Northern Ireland’s biomethane story.

Paul is based at the Teagasc Animal & Grassland Research and Innovation Centre, Grange where his work involves the economic and environmental assessment of farm systems. He is an Agricultural Science graduate of University College Dublin and also has a Prof Certificate in Data Analytics and a PhD in Agricultural Systems Analysis.

Paul has worked with some of the world’s largest manufacturing companies, having led teams to reduce energy usage, costs, carbon emissions and improve environmental performance.

He is an Energy, Climate Action & Sustainability consultant with extensive experience in Energy Management, Energy Audits & development of Climate Action Strategies in Industrial Manufacturing Facilities within the Food & Dairy, Pharmaceuticals & Biopharmaceuticals & Medical Devices sectors in Ireland, USA, UK, Europe & Asia. To date, he has worked with over 170 manufacturing facilities in 24 countries and over 120 SME companies in Ireland. He is an Internationally Certified Energy Auditor and Energy Efficient Design expert, certified by the SEAI.

Paul has a broad in-depth knowledge of the entire spectrum of Energy, Sustainability & Climate Action areas. He is passionate about taking this experience and expertise and applying it to help businesses at all levels from, Micro, SME to larger enterprises, to take practical climate action whilst also reducing their costs and improving their business performance.

Paul has worked with high-profile clients in Ireland & globally and led the implementation of several programs with significant results in reducing costs and carbon emissions.

He has an in depth understanding of relevant standards such as GHG Protocol and ISO14064 and has developed full life cycle emissions analysis for several companies. He has implemented ISO50001 in numerous companies in Ireland & the USA.

Paul has been a key advisor to several companies around the world in energy, climate & sustainability strategy. Companies include: Glanbia, Abbott, Hovione, Ornua, Dairygold, Lakeland Dairies, Mondelez, Kerry Group, Irish Distillers, Danone, Pepsico, Rusal Aughinish, Vistakon and others.

He has acted as a large industry relationship manager for the SEAI since 2015 and has been key to several industry technical panels on energy efficiency. He works with political parties to develop Energy Policy and is an external examiner at MTU for all sustainability related courses. He was recently appointed to the board of directors of the Renewable Gas Forum of Ireland.

Noel works between IFA Dublin and Brussels Offices. His works covers biomethane and digestate policy development at an EU level, with a specific focus on the implementation of Biomethane Strategies in other EU Member States and EU Financing related to Anaerobic Digestion.

Future Biogas is a team of 150 dealing with all aspects of biogas, from feedstock and biology through operations and maintenance, to all aspects of financial, regulatory and sustainability reporting. It has developed, built and operates 12 plants across the UK, making it one of the largest biomethane producers in the UK. Philipp’s background is in law and renewables and is a passionate advocate for the role of biogas in the energy transition and enabling sustainable agriculture. He is a board member of the European Biogas Association, Co-Chair of the Biomethane Industrial Partnership Taskforce 3 and on the REA Green Gas Steering Group in the UK.

Philip and has worked in the Irish energy sector for 10 years. Philip has significant experience working on biomethane and energy policy in Ireland having worked in Gas Networks Ireland and the Department of Environment, Climate and Communications. Philip led the development of DECC’s intended positions for the Renewable Heat Obligation in 2021, and project managed the development of Ireland’s National Biomethane Strategy for the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine.

Tom is Group Chief Executive of Nephin Energy. Tom has over 20 years’ experience in the energy industry, including over 10 years in the Projects & Energy Department of one of Ireland’s leading law firms, where he focused on renewable energy, large scale real estate and infrastructure projects. Since then, Tom has held senior executive roles at a number of Irish companies, including two public companies.

Tom was senior adviser and project lead in Ireland for CPPIB’s $1.23 billion acquisition of Shell’s interest in the Corrib Gas Field. In 2017 he was asked by CPPIB to build out and lead the company that would eventually own CPPIB’s interest in the field, Nephin Energy. Nephin Energy is currently one of Ireland’s largest producers of natural gas.

Tom established Nephin Renewable Gas (NRG) in 2023. NRG’s ambition is to become the leading producer and supplier of biomethane in Ireland. Tom has mentored on the Irish Stock Exchange’s #IPOready leadership programme which is designed to help ambitious companies prepare for different types of strategic funding options, including going public. Tom is a regular contributor to energy policy debate in Ireland. He holds an LLB from University College Cork, an LLM from University College London and a Diploma in Finance from University College Dublin.

Dr Ciara Beausang is a Research Officer in Anaerobic Digestion with Teagasc – the Agriculture and Food Development Authority. Ciara completed her PhD in Biosystems Engineering at University College Dublin. The focus of her research is the sustainability of biogas production from agricultural feedstocks.

Russell is a Partner in KPMG and leads KPMG Sustainable Futures. Russell has over 15 years’ experience in the low carbon and sustainability sector, including significant track record of developing decarbonisation and sustainability strategies for major corporates and semi-state organisations. Russell is one of the most experienced AD and biomethane professionals across the UK and Ireland and has advised on the development and funding of a large proportion of the AD capacity developed on the Island of Ireland to date, advised on the development of the Irish National Biomethane Strategy, as well as produced significant strategic thought leadership on the biomethane opportunity.

Tom Arnold currently serves as a board member of the Global FoodBanking Network (GFN); member, Global Panel for Agriculture and Food Systems for Nutrition (GLOPAN); board member, Global Alliance for Improved Nutrition (GAIN); member, Malabo Montpellier Panel; member, Sight and Life Foundation; board member, Glencree Centre for Peace and Reconciliation.

His previous roles include serving as Ireland’s Special Envoy for Food Systems (2021-22); Chair, Ireland’s 2030 agri-food strategy committee which produced Food Vision 2030 (2021); for the EU Commission, he chaired the High-level Expert Group for Food Systems Science (2021) and the Task Force Rural Africa (2019); Coordinator, Scaling Up Nutrition (SUN) Movement; Director-General, Institute of International and European Affairs (IIEA); Chair, Irish Constitutional Convention; CEO, Concern Worldwide; Chief Economist and Assistant Secretary General, Irish Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine (DAFM); Chair, OECD Committee of of Agriculture; Administrator, EU Commission.

Tom has a degree in agricultural economics from University College Dublin (UCD) and master’s degrees from the Catholic University of Leuven and Trinity College, Dublin.

Neil started his own independent consultancy in 1986 while studying Agricultural and Environmental Sciences at Newcastle University and has been actively working on farming, food and nutrition projects ever since. Neil’s work on supply chain sustainability featured in the finals of the COP26 Climate Challenge Cup and resulted in the issuance of the first high-integrity agricultural carbon credits to be certified under the B-Carbon protocol. He is technical lead on a number of brand-specific decarbonization programmes that showcase the incredible opportunities Irish farmers have to produce Net Zero feedstocks for the food and drinks sectors.

Gary has over 19 years’ experience in UK and Irish energy advisory work, including fundraising (both debt and equity), M&A, JV partner identification and fundraising across a wide variety of technologies such as EfW, large and small scale wind, wood biomass, solar, hydrogen and gasification. Gary leads all M&A and fundraising in the AD biomethane sector for KPMG Ireland and has advised on 10 biomethane transactions in the past 18 months across Ireland and the UK.

Niamh is assigned to the Heat Delivery Unit, and is overseeing the development of the Renewable Heat Obligation and Implementation of the National Biomethane Strategy.

Within DAFM, Rebecca is leading development of sustainable agricultural policy on climate change and sustainable energy at national level. She also supports the development of National, EU and International policies, strategies and programmes related to these issues.

Denis Drennan was unopposed when he was elected President of ICMSA in December 2023. He succeeded Pat McCormack, whom he had served as Deputy President from 2022, and he also chaired the Farm & Rural Affairs Committee charged with formulation of policy around nitrates, water quality and several other critical areas where farming and food production involve detailed knowledge of the environmental regulatory apparatus and sustainability, Through his ICMSA work and through his membership of various other local agencies and groups around his native Kilkenny like LEADER and Trail Kilkenny, Mr Drennan is widely acknowledged to understand the particular challenges around farming sustainably – but also commercially – to a notable degree. He works a medium-sized dairy farm that he inherited from his parents at Dunbell, near Kilkenny city.

Eamon Ryan is Minister for Department of Environment, Climate and Communications and the Department of Transport – two key departments at the centre of Ireland’s climate transformation. He is leader of the Green Party/Comhaontas Glás in Ireland.

Since his re-election and appointment as Minister and Government leader he has led the enactment of Ireland’s Climate Act 2021 and two Climate Actions Plans. He is leading Ireland’s acceleration to renewable energy, with early indications that over 45% of electricity generated in Ireland in 2023 was renewable, reaching 62.1% in December 2023. He oversaw the country’s first off-shore wind auction in 2023, which will see projects produce enough homegrown electricity to power more than 2.5 million homes, with more auctions planned for this year.

In transport, Eamon introduced the first fare reduction for public transport in 75 years with a cut of 20% for adults and 50% for young adults under 26. He has also overseen a sea-change in public transport services and investment of a €1 million a day on walking, cycling and wheeling infrastructure. In 2023, there were a record 308 million passenger journeys on public transport – an increase of 25%, with rural bus patronage up 78%.

Karen has responsibility for the development of renewable gas and provision of route to market for biomethane green hydrogen. Key focus is on decarbonisation of the gas network by 2050 through enablement of Hydrogen and Biomethane at scale to support the delivery of Ireland’s Net Zero targets.

PJ leads work to present a cohesive voice for Ireland’s biomethane industry. He represents RGFI on the Board of the EBA and Chairs the National Associations Platform. Work includes developing national targets for biomethane and collaboration with the Biomethane Industry Partnership Task Force, on delivering the REPowerEU strategy, working directly with the EU Commissioner’s office. PJ also facilitates industry representation with Irish government officials in DECC and DAFM, on Ireland’s Biomethane Strategy.

Padraig is currently working on increasing the amount of renewable gas that Gas Networks Ireland transports to start the transformation of gas industry in Ireland to a sustainable energy business. He has previously worked for a number of energy companies including Ervia, Bord Gáis Energy, ESB and the Commission for Regulation of Utilities.

James Russell is Chief Technical Officer at Biocore Environmental Ltd. with responsibility for the development of strategic project opportunities including the engineering and construction activities across Biocore’s key business areas including renewable energy project development (specifically Anaerobic Digestion), waste management, sludge and biosolids management, and R&D. Critical to success is the emphasis on ensuring that Biocore continues to implement innovative technical solutions to deliver industry leading products and services to our Municipal and Private customers. To date, James has led the construction and development of 2 key Anaerobic Digestion plants including a 1,200m3/hr Agri-based biomethane AD plant in Suffolk (UK) and a 1 MWe Waste-based AD plant in Roscommon (Ireland). Biocore’s strategy is to develop a network of biomethane AD plants across Ireland over the coming years.

Minister McConalogue was appointed as Minister for Agriculture, Food and Marine on 2 September 2020.

From farming background in Gleneely, Co Donegal, he was educated at Carndonagh Community School before attending UCD where he studied Economics, Politics & History. It was during his undergraduate studies at UCD that he first became involved in politics.

After working in Fianna Fáil Headquarters for a number of years, as well as working abroad in Australia, Minister McConalogue returned home to work on the family farm before being elected as a Donegal County Councillor in 2009. In 2011, he was elected TD for Donegal Northeast.

Minister McConalogue was appointed previously as Minister of State at the Department of Justice and Equality with responsibility for Law Reform and prior to that, he held the positions of Fianna Fáil spokesperson for Children, Education and Skills, and Agriculture, Food and the Marine.

Redmond McEvoy works as an Assistant Principal in the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine. Redmond is the bioenergy policy lead in DAFM focusing on energy efficiency, deployment of renewable technologies at farm level, and the supply of bioenergy feedstocks as key agricultural contributions to the energy transition. Redmond is currently working on a number of bioenergy policy projects including the National Biomethane Strategy.

Jonathan has been with the company for the past 21 years, with a background in communications and business development.

With a focus on delivering customer growth across all tenure sections within the Phoenix Energy licence area, Jonathan leads the customer service, marketing and sales divisions and oversees strategic campaign development.

Jonathan also manages the business development strategy for network extension infrastructure investment and supports stakeholder and partner engagement on energy transition and role of natural gas in delivering a lower carbon future.

John has been working in the agri-food sector for over 20 years, beginning in the food service sector before moving on to work for farmer-owned farm services co-operative, FRS for 16 years in project and operations management.

This role involved working both in farm services management and in managing contracted and outsourced services provision for FRS. These contracted services primarily included agri-environmental and sustainability programmes provided directly to farmers on behalf of Irish semi-state bodies Teagasc and Bord Bia as well as contracted services on behalf of the Department of Agriculture, Food and Marine.

John was appointed to the newly created role of Bioeconomy Executive for the Irish Co-operative Organisation Society (ICOS) in June 2022 and is working on developing the role of co-operatives in the evolving Bioeconomy and promoting the inclusion of primary producers in this vital sector. This involves designing roadmaps for bioeconomy deployment with ICOS member co-ops and key Government, semi-state and other industry stakeholders.

John holds a Bachelor of Business Studies degree, a Postgraduate Diploma in Co-operative Organisation and Rural Development from University College Cork, an Executive MBA from the University of Limerick and an MSc in Bioeconomy with Business awarded jointly by University College Dublin and Munster Technological University. He also runs a grass-based beef farm on a part-time basis.

Matthew is an experienced planning professional, currently Principal Planner at Entrust Planning and Environmental, with responsibility for obtaining planning consents for renewable energy projects including Solar, Battery Energy Storage and Utility scale electricity infrastructure. Matthew has 18 years of planning experience across a number of development types including residential, commercial, industrial, transport and retail. He has a considerable understanding of the policy context for renewables in Ireland, and extensive experience of leading strategic activities and design teams, involving a range of stakeholders, in achieving planning permission across a range of sectors. Matthew obtained a Masters in Regional and Urban Planning from University College Dublin and is a Corporate member of the Irish Planning Institute.

The DPTC is an industry-academic collaboration with a research agenda in dairy processing and innovation, driven by the long- term sustainable growth opportunities in the dairy sector. Anne Marie’s priority is to ensure that DPTC delivers innovative impact for one of Ireland’s most important indigenous industries and she views the biomethane industry as partners in that innovation.

Eoin Brennan is the Renewables Commercial Lead at Flogas Enterprise. He has a background in physics and is driven towards achieving sustainable decarbonisation solutions. Eoin developed Flogas Enterprise’s award winning Corporate PPA product for large energy users and he now leads on biomethane origination across the Flogas group. Flogas Enterprise provide route to market services for biomethane producers. They were the first supplier of biomethane through the Irish gas network in 2020 and the inaugural supplier of bioCNG as a transport fuel, soon to be opening Ireland’s first dedicated unmanned bioCNG refuelling station this June.