Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 15 October 2024
116. Deputy Christopher O'Sullivan asked the Minister for the Environment, Climate and Communications to outline current policy towards community-led renewable energy projects as well as local renewable energy trusts. [40950/24]
Amharc ar fhreagraThrough the first two Renewable Electricity Support Scheme (RESS) auctions, my Department provided pathways and supports for Renewable Energy Communities (RECs) to participate in renewable energy projects through the application of a community projects category. Community renewable energy trusts is a term generally used in the UK to refer to entities similar to RECs.
My Department’s continued engagement with RECs, has identified evidence of significant challenges that they projects may face with the auction based nature of RESS, along with other barriers to project delivery. Therefore, support for communities for the development of renewable projects will now transition to the Small-Scale Renewable Electricity Support Scheme (SRESS).
In May I announced the tariffs for the export tariff phase of SRESS, which will support small-scale and community renewable projects. In the largest SRESS category, communities will receive a guaranteed tariff 20% higher than the average community price in the most recent RESS auction for community projects in 2022.
A set of technical and financial supports for community projects are currently available to communities through the Community Enabling Framework under the RESS. Similar supports will be available under the SRESS.
In addition, in 2023 and 2024 SEAI also undertook seven county level grid studies to support communities in identifying sites that are most likely to have an economically viable grid connection.
In September, the Commission for Regulation of Utilities published the new Electricity Connection Policy – Generation and System Services policy. The new policy provides greater opportunities for connection to the electricity network for community renewable energy projects through provisions such as the reduction in the first stage grid payment fees; the removal of upper and lower capacity limits; the size of projects not required to pay a capacity bond increasing from 5MW to 6MW; and the removal of caps on the number of projects per processing batch.
