A consultation has opened this week on the second onshore Renewable Electricity Support Scheme (RESS 2) auction design and implementation.
The RESS provides support to renewable electricity projects in Ireland.
According to the Department of the Environment, Climate and Communications, the RESS 2 auction will be “a major step in meeting the ambition set out in the Programme for Government of at least 70% renewable electricity by 2030”.
The Programme for Government commits to holding these auctions at frequent intervals throughout the lifetime of the scheme.
According to the department, “this will allow Ireland to take advantage of falling technology costs and avoid ‘locking in’ higher costs for consumers”.
The aim of this consultation is to gather feedback on key aspects of the scheme and to guide the final design of RESS 2. The closing date for submissions is August 20, 2021.
RESS 1
The results of the first RESS auction were announced back in September of last year, with support given to generators for a total of 63 onshore solar farms and 19 wind farms.
This means approximately 160 new wind turbines will be constructed and approximately 1,750ha of solar panels.
The successful solar farm projects in the auction are concentrated in the south and the east of the country, with onshore wind project locations more dispersed.
For projects that are successful in the auction, this support typically applies for approximately 15 years.