Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 14 October 2025
219. Deputy Jennifer Whitmore asked the Minister for Climate, Energy and the Environment for an update on his Department’s management of the renewable electricity support scheme, as committed to in the Climate Action Plan 2025 and due in Quarter 4 2025; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [55502/25]
View answerThe Renewable Electricity Support Scheme (RESS) is Ireland’s flagship policy to deliver on our renewable electricity targets under the Climate Action Plan and Programme for Government and has been instrumental in providing a supportive policy environment for Ireland’s growing renewables sector since the first auction in 2020.
The fifth onshore RESS auction, RESS 5, was completed in September 2025 in line with the auction timetable and commitments in the Climate Action Plan. The RESS 5 Provisional Results were published by EirGrid on 24 September, with Final Results expected to be published on 15 October. The RESS 5 results represent a major boost for Ireland’s energy transition, securing enough clean renewable electricity to power over 350,000 Irish homes annually through the development of new indigenous onshore wind and solar capacity. The RESS 5 auction has delivered competitive outcomes, with the average RESS 5 price approximately €20/MWh below 2025 average wholesale electricity prices to date.
Pre-qualification for the 900 MW ORESS Tonn Nua offshore wind auction opened on 22 September 2025 and closed for applications on 26 September. Final qualification decisions will be notified to the applicants on 31 October 2025. The bidding window will then open on 17 November and close on 20 November. The Final Auction Results will be announced on 9 December.
The completion timelines of RESS 5 and the ORESS Tonn Nua Auction are in line with Action EL/25/1 of the Climate Action Plan 2025, which sets out that all onshore and offshore RESS auctions be completed by Q4 2025.
The current RESS State Aid decision covers auctions held up until the end of 2025. Officials from my Department have been engaging closely with the European Commission on securing an extension to this approval with a view to holding further auctions. Any amended decision will issue under the Commission’s new Clean Industrial Deal State Aid Framework (CISAF) which was published this summer.
The Programme for Government includes a commitment to hold at least one RESS auction per year, with an updated calendar of future auctions expected to be published in the coming months.
