Darren O'Rourke (Meath East, Sinn Fein)
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168. To ask the Minister for Communications, Climate Action and Environment if he report on the number of sustainable energy communities that were funded in 2020, 2021, 2022 and in 2023, in tabular form; the level of funding awarded to each project; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [56139/23]

Eamon Ryan (Dublin Bay South, Green Party)
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The Sustainable Energy Communities (SEC) Programme is administered by the Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland (SEAI). The Programme supports the low carbon energy transition by developing skills and capacity, at a community level, in determining how to use less energy, adopting lower carbon options for transport and heating, shifting energy use to off-peak times or investing in smart technologies.

SEAI provides 100% funding to communities to undertake energy master plans. These plans allow a community to assess and understand its current and future energy needs (in electricity, heat and transport) in order for the community to make informed decisions and prioritise actions. It helps communities to identify opportunities so they can become more energy efficient, use renewable energy where possible, and use smart energy technology if appropriate. Energy Master Plan grants are issued for 12 months with up to 4 milestone payments possible across the 12 months. Extensions are available on request. Since 2020, a total of 141 Energy Master Plan Grants have been approved. The number of SEC's for each year from 2020 to 2023 and total expenditure for each of these years is as set out in the following table.