Gas Networks Ireland has announced plans to decarbonise its compressor stations at Beattock and Brighouse Bay in south-west Scotland by installing new Electric Motor Drives (EMDs) at each location, a move expected to reduce the organisation's operational greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions by 42% compared with today's levels.

The scheme carries an estimated cost of about €200m (£170m) and is targeted to be in service in 2030, subject to planning, regulatory and environmental approvals in both Scotland and Ireland.

Timed to coincide with the UK–Ireland Summit 2026 in Cork, the announcement highlights cross-border collaboration and the shared ambition of both countries to accelerate progress towards sustainability goals.

Together, the two Scottish compressor stations supply nearly 80 per cent of Ireland's natural gas. Replacing traditional drives with EMDs is expected to improve energy efficiency, reduce environmental waste and lower atmospheric pollutants locally, while bolstering the overall resilience and sustainability of Ireland's gas infrastructure.

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The zero-emission technology produces no direct exhaust and, when powered by renewable electricity, also cuts associated indirect emissions.

Gas Networks Ireland Chief Executive, David Kelly, said: "This year Gas Networks Ireland will celebrate 50 years in operation, and it is our hope that this decarbonisation project will be recorded as another milestone moment in our organisation's history. From a company that started out with town gas only five decades ago, we are now working to deliver a net-zero carbon gas network run on biomethane and hydrogen. As we transition Ireland's network toward a renewable gas future, we are simultaneously working to identify solutions to reduce our own organisation's carbon emissions, and this investment is a major step forward in that regard."

Gas Networks Ireland Director of Assets & Infrastructure, Brian Sheehan, added: "When considering the options to decarbonise our primary supply sites in Scotland, we completed a thorough review and analysis of the market and identified Electric Motor Drives as a tried and tested technology across Europe. They also provide greater operational flexibility as we transition to renewable power and become coupled with renewable electricity generation. While this project is still at early stages, we have completed due diligence and initiated proactive and positive engagement with key stakeholders in both Ireland and Scotland."

The project has entered detailed design and planning, with a local planning application due to be submitted to Dumfries & Galloway Council in the coming months. Tender processes for both the EMD supply and the design-and-build of a new compressor hall have been approved and are live. Subject to the necessary approvals and contract awards, construction will begin thereafter, with the new EMDs expected to be operational in 2030.