Catherine Connolly (Galway West, Independent)
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91. To ask the Minister for Communications, Climate Action and Environment the analysis that his Department has carried out into the operation of the community category in RESS 1 and RESS 2; the reason that the discontinuation of the community category is being considered for RESS 3; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [62565/22]

Eamon Ryan (Dublin Bay South, Green Party)
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The Renewable Electricity Support Scheme (RESS) is one of the flagship Government policies to help deliver on the ambition in the Climate Action Plan 2021 of up to 80% renewable electricity by 2030.

Seven community projects, comprising five solar and two wind projects, were successful in first RESS auction (RESS1), six of which remain in RESS. These projects are progressing through the RESS 1 delivery milestones and are anticipated to reach commercial operation before the end of 2023 at the latest. There were ten successful projects in the community Category in the second RESS auction (RESS2). These are expected to achieve commercial operation by the end of 2025 at the latest.

Through my Department’s continued engagement with Renewable Energy Communities (RECs), there is evidence of significant challenges that REC projects may face with the competitive, auction based nature of RESS. To simplify and boost community participation in the Government’s renewable energy ambition, consideration is being given to providing support for eligible community projects through the Small Scale Generation Support Scheme (SSG), which is currently under development and is expected to become available in 2023. The SSG is not anticipated to include an auction process and is expected to be a simpler route for community participation.

In October, my Department published a consultation on the design of the third RESS auction (RESS 3), which will take place next year, including options for continuing the community category in RESS in light of the development of the SSG. This consultation is open for submissions until Friday 16 December.