London-based company appeals Galway biomethane plant refusal to An Coimisiún Pleanála
A proposal to build an industrial plant to convert organic waste into renewable energy has been appealed to An Coimisiún Pleanála after planners in Galway refused permission for the project.
In February, London-based biomethane company CycleØ lodged an appeal after its application for an anaerobic digestion facility at Glenloughaun, about 3.5km from Ballinasloe town centre, was refused.
The company, which describes itself as an “end-to-end biomethane provider”, originally submitted the planning application in November 2025. Galway County Council refused permission in January 2026.
Planners said the proposal conflicted with the Galway County Development Plan 2022–2028.
The council also cited several additional concerns, including the potential overuse of regional roads and insufficient information in the Environmental Impact Assessment Report (EIAR).
Planning officials said the EIAR was not “adequate in fully identifying and describing the direct, indirect and cumulative effects of the proposed development”.
They also found the documentation lacked sufficient detail on incident management, including slurry spillages and maintenance procedures.
The plans state feedstock and waste materials would be transported to the facility via the R355 and L8412 roads.
Documents submitted as part of the appeal outline several alternative scenarios considered by the developer, including a “do nothing” option, alternative locations, different site layouts and alternative technical configurations.
In its appeal, the company referred to Ireland’s climate targets, which aim to reduce emissions by 51pc by 2030.
The submission states that domestically produced biomethane could help replace fossil natural gas in sectors that are difficult to decarbonise, while also contributing to emissions reductions in the agricultural sector in Co Galway.
It said failure to develop the facility could also result in agricultural waste in the surrounding area not being processed appropriately.
The proposed development would be located on a four-hectare site currently used for agriculture and surrounded by farmland. A meat processing facility is located to the north-west of the site.
According to the Environmental Report, the plant would be designed to process up to 90,000 tonnes annually of locally sourced agricultural manures, slurry, dairy processing residues and crop-based feedstocks.
90,000 tonnes can produce around 85 GWh of sustainable energy, enough to power around 13,000 homes per year.
The primary aim would be to produce grid-quality biomethane that would be injected into the Gas Networks Ireland network through a dedicated pipeline connection to existing gas infrastructure.
If approved, the development would involve demolishing an existing shed and tank on the site and constructing two primary digesters and two post-digester tanks.
Additional works would include storage and treatment tanks, structures for handling chemical components and oil, a two-storey office building, car parking and an ESB substation.
The original planning application received 90 submissions from members of the public, most of which raised environmental concerns about the proposed biogas plant.
Construction has begun in South Mayo on a similar biomethane plant under an agreement between biomethane company Nephin, and Flogas.
A decision by An Coimisiún Pleanala is expected by the end of June 2026.