AN anaerobic digestion plant in Co Donegal will be fuelled by 25,000 tonnes of poultry litter from Northern Ireland a year.
The Glenmore Project led by Connective Energy Holdings is being built by Mallusk based company Williams Industrial Services.
The plant will turn surplus poultry litter into low carbon biogas and organic fertiliser.
The £23 million project at Ballybofey includes a £9.3m loan from Invest Northern Ireland.
Enterprise minister Jonathan Bell said the scheme "will help our poultry sector to grow and provide low carbon energy for some of our most important manufacturers".
"The plant produces biogas which will power the trucks transporting the poultry litter and generate nearly 4MW of renewable electricity for manufacturing firms Bombardier and Montupet in Belfast, Newtownards, Newtownabbey and Dunmurry further supporting industry here.”
The other product from the plant will be a liquid digestate which is to be used as an organic fertiliser in adjacent commercial forestry and agricultural land,.
“The poultry meat sector is a significant contributor to the local economy. The litter produced however presents a significant environmental challenge which could put the growth of the sector at risk."
Agriculture minister Michelle O’Neill added: “With 6,000 people working in the poultry sector it has been a top priority for my department to find new ways to utilise poultry litter. Such innovative and sustainable processes will allow the sector to flourish and meet the requirements of the EU Nitrates and Water Framework Directives.”
