Simon Coveney (Cork South Central, Fine Gael)
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Question 1024: To ask the Minister for Communications, Energy and Natural Resources the position with regard to the renewable energy feed in tariff scheme in place to promote offshore wind energy projects in order to provide some certainty to existing offshore wind farm developers and potential new entrants into the market; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [33618/09]

Eamon Ryan (Dublin South, Green Party)
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In 2008 I announced that new tariff bands would be introduced to the existing REFIT feed in tariff scheme as follows; · AD and high efficiency CHP: A price of €120 per megawatt hour of energy produced. · Offshore wind: A price of €140 per megawatt hour of energy produced. · (Wave and tidal) A price of €220 per megawatt hour of energy produced. My Department has been subsequently engaged with the industry representative associations around the terms and conditions of these rates, particularly around the area of offshore planning and permitting conditions.

On 9th September 2009 I announced full terms and conditions for these new categories which are subject to State Aid clearance from the EU. My Department is currently in discussion with the European Commission with a view to successfully progressing the State Aid clearance over the coming months. In order to be eligible for REFIT, developers will require planning permission, foreshore permits, signed grid connection offers and an offer of a power purchase agreement from a registered supply company.

The next grouping of renewable electricity grid connection offers, which includes around 800 MW of offshore wind projects, referred to as the Gate 3 process, is currently under way and the new tariffs will facilitate some of these developers involved in this process to progress their projects through the financial planning stages. There are no offshore wind projects currently eligible to apply for the REFIT scheme until the connection offer process has been completed.