Written answers

Thursday, 28 January 2021

Department of Communications, Climate Action and Environment

Just Transition Fund

Photo of Joe FlahertyJoe Flaherty (Longford-Westmeath, Fianna Fail)
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22. To ask the Minister for Communications, Climate Action and Environment the status of approved just transition projects given recent confirmation that the stipulations for drawing down funding requires the project promoters to provide an unrealistic 50% in match funding for projected project costs. [4839/21]

Photo of Joe FlahertyJoe Flaherty (Longford-Westmeath, Fianna Fail)
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23. To ask the Minister for Communications, Climate Action and Environment if he will engage with the ESB and request that the €6 million earmarked from the company for the just transition funding will be ring-fenced and allocated directly to the 30 plus projects struggling to meet the matching 50% funding requirements under the draw-down criteria for just transition approved projects. [4840/21]

Photo of Eamon RyanEamon Ryan (Dublin Bay South, Green Party)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 22 and 23 together.

The objective of the Just Transition Fund is to support innovative projects that contribute to the economic, social and environmental sustainability of the Midlands region, and which have employment and enterprise potential.

My Department held a competitive call for applications to this Fund, which closed on 17 July 2020, in response to which over 100 applications were received. Provisional offers of funding totalling €29 million have now been made to 63 projects, of which 16 have already concluded funding agreements with my Department. Further information on these projects is available on .

Of the remaining projects, which are subject to finalisation of funding agreements, a number have been subject to a further state aid assessment to finalise the level of funding that may be granted. These projects have been informed of the outcome of this assessment and have been requested to provide further financial information to my Department.

Subject to satisfactory verification of this additional information and the provision of additional relevant material, such as proof of planning permission, my Department intends to issue final letters of offer and funding agreements to all provisionally approved projects. No formal funding commitments will be entered into by my Department unless and until a final letter of offer and funding agreement has been concluded by both the Department and the relevant project.

As set out in the Department’s information booklet for its call for applications, all projects must include a minimum of 15% match funding from sources other than the Just Transition Fund, that is the Fund will provide support up to a maximum of 85% of the project costs, subject to project compliance with state-aid rules. Where state aid rules apply, the Department is working directly with all affected projects to support them in fulfilling the relevant requirements.

In relation to the ESB commitment to contribute an additional €5 million to the Just Transition Fund for the Midlands, my Department is engaging with the company to ensure that the funding is made available to be deployed through the Just Transition Fund in 2021 to support approved projects. I do not anticipate, however, that this funding will be made available directly to approved projects as an additional contribution to that of the Just Transition Fund.

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