Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 10 April 2025
38. Deputy Brian Stanley asked the Minister for the Environment, Climate and Communications the total amount in subsidies that have been paid to support wind farm developments over each year for the past five years; if he plans to make changes to subsidies for the renewable energy sector in the foreseeable future; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [16081/25]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe Public Service Obligation (PSO) levy supports the development of renewable electricity including wind, solar, and other renewable technology generation projects and is a key enabler to decarbonising our electricity system over the longer term in line with the Climate Action Plan and the Programme for Government.
The PSO levy is applied to all electricity customers and is collected through electricity suppliers as part of their bills. The money raised from the levy funds renewable electricity generators that qualify for support through various government schemes including the Renewable Electricity Support Scheme (RESS).
An inverse relationship exists between the PSO and wholesale electricity prices, with higher wholesale prices meaning a lower PSO levy and lower wholesale prices leading to an increased PSO levy. In addition, the RESS, provides for consumer protection, whereby supported projects are required to pay back into the PSO when market prices exceed their RESS support price.
The CRU determined a PSO Levy of €251.79 million for the ‘2024/25 PSO Year’. This equates to €3.23 per month per domestic electricity customer and €12.91 for small commercial customers. Customers in the medium/large commercial category are subject to a monthly charge of €1.57/kVA.
The table below details the annual PSO levy for each year over the past five years. It should be noted that the negative figures are years in which the consumer received a net refund from the PSO.
|
Year |
€ Millions |
|
2020/21 |
393.13 |
|
2021/22 |
263.70 |
|
2022/23 |
-491.25 |
|
2023/24 |
-67.47 |
|
2024/25 |
251.79 |
The latest CRU Decision on the PSO Levy for the period October 2024 to September 2025 is available at www.CRU.ie .
