Timmy Dooley (Clare, Fianna Fail)
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337. To ask the Minister for Communications, Energy and Natural Resources the average cost of energy production per megawatt hour of each source of energy used here in tabular form; the current supports given to wind energy here; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [19025/17]

Denis Naughten (Roscommon-Galway, Independent)
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The Single Electricity Market (SEM) is the wholesale electricity market for the island of Ireland. The SEM is regulated by the SEM Committee and administration of the SEM is managed by the Single Electricity Market Operator. Data for 2014 and 2015 in relation to the cost of electricity production per megawatt hour (MWh) for the various technologies is available at Table 3.7 of the publication Generator Financial Performance in the Single Electricity Market..The document is available on the SEM Committee website at

www.semcommittee.com/sites/semcommittee.com/files/media-files/SEM-16-086%20CEPA%20Generator%20Financial%20Performance%20Report.pdf.

In addition, an update report published by the Council for European Energy Regulators earlier this month of support schemes across Europe, found that Ireland still has one of the lowest levels of monetary support per unit of gross electricity produced. The report is available at -www.ceer.eu/portal/page/portal/EER_HOME/EER_PUBLICATIONS/CEER_PAPERS/Electricity/2017/C16-SDE-56-03%20Status%20Review%20RES%20Support%20Schemes.pdf.

The Renewable Electricity Feed-in Tariff (REFIT) schemes are the principal means of supporting renewable electricity generators for electricity exported to the grid. REFIT 1 and REFIT 2 schemes, which are now closed for new applications, support onshore wind generation.

The 2017 reference price, or guaranteed support price, for large scale and small scale wind generation is €69.72MWh and €72.17MWh respectively.  Details of the REFIT reference prices for all supported technologies are available on this Department’s website at www.dccae.gov.ie.

REFIT forms a key part of the Public Service Obligation (PSO). The PSO levy ischarged to all electricity customers in Ireland to support national policy objectives related to renewable energy, indigenous fuels (peat) and security of energy supply. The PSO levy is determined each year by the Commission for Energy Regulation (CER). Ireland’s REFIT schemes have proved effective in attracting investment into the renewable energy sector and the REFIT schemes have been found to be a very cost effective tool to support renewables development, as indicated by a report published by the Council of European Energy Regulators in 2015.