Richard Bruton (Dublin Bay North, Fine Gael)
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198. To ask the Minister for Communications, Climate Action and Environment if his Department can facilitate a hybrid application involving a partnership between a community group and a State enterprise in a renewable energy project, in view of the fact that such models are in place elsewhere in Europe, and the concern that there has been a high failure rate in community projects seeking to go it alone. [61490/22]

Eamon Ryan (Dublin Bay South, Green Party)
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There are a range of measures in place to support increased community ownership, participation in, and benefit from, renewable electricity projects, including an Enabling Framework for Community Participation. This comprises of a package of enabling supports including technical, financial, and legal services to assist communities in navigating the challenging terrain of electricity generation. The Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland (SEAI) is leading in implementing and facilitating these components of the framework. Interested communities can contact the SEAI RESS team for assistance.The Enduring Connection Policy (ECP) process for grid connection applications is the current pathway for generators, storage and other system services technology projects to connect to the electricity system. ECP 2, published by the Commission for the Regulation of Utilities in June 2020, sets out the policy in respect of 3 annual batches of connections. In accordance with ECP 2 qualifying community-led renewable energy projects can apply for a connection on an ongoing basis throughout the year.

With regard to hybrid connections, the sharing of grid connections between renewable energy technologies has significant potential to reduce the costs of deploying renewable energy to the grid. In accordance with Action 125A of the Climate Action Plan 2021, the Commission for the Regulation of Utilities is the lead organisation in determining the contractual framework approach to accommodate Multiple Legal Entities behind a single connection point. To progress matters in this area a number of regulatory and legal issues need to be overcome. Work on overcoming these issues is ongoing as a matter of priority between the Commission for the Regulation of Utilities, EirGrid, and ESB Networks.