Peadar Tóibín (Meath West, Sinn Fein)
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267. To ask the Minister for Communications, Energy and Natural Resources his views on facilitating access to the national grid for communities (details supplied). [17563/16]

Denis Naughten (Roscommon-Galway, Independent)
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Ensuring the participation of communities in Ireland’s future energy transition is a key commitment in the 2015 Energy White Paper and the recent Programme for Government. National energy policy sets out a framework to encourage community participation in energy policy formation, the design of enabling measures and project supports. Access to the national grid for community designated renewable electricity projects is a key enabler for future community participation, and I understand that the Commission for Energy Regulation (CER) - in its role as the competent authority on this matter - has recently consulted on a Review of Connection and Grid Access Policy , which addressed the question of community access to the grid.

It is my understanding that the CER intends that responses to this initial consultation paper will inform a further consultation on connection policy to be published later this year. 

In addition to this CER work, my Department is developing a Renewable Electricity Planning and Development Framework which is due later this year. This work will include a framework for communities to share in the benefits of new energy infrastructure and examine shared-ownership opportunities for renewable energy projects in their local area.

As regard project supports for community designated renewable energy installations, my Department is currently working on the development of a new Renewable Electricity Support Scheme (RESS) and the participation of community designated renewable energy project is being examined as part of this process.