Darren O'Rourke (Meath East, Sinn Fein)
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14. To ask the Minister for Communications, Climate Action and Environment if he is aware that the European Commission has decided to open an infringement procedure against Ireland for failing to fully transpose the revised renewable energy Directive into national law; the measures he is taking to address this; to provide a timeline for the transposition of the revised Renewable Energy Directive into national law; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [40393/24]

Eamon Ryan (Dublin Bay South, Green Party)
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The third Renewable Energy Directive (RED III, EU Directive 2023/2413) entered into force in November 2023 and provides for the increased deployment of renewable energy across the EU by 2030, including provisions to simplify and accelerate the permit-granting procedure for renewable energy projects. While the majority of the Directive has a transposition deadline of 21st May 2025, there was an earlier deadline of 1st July 2024 for these permitting provisions.

On 25th September 2024, Ireland, and 25 other Member States, received a letter of formal notice from the European Commission.

Ireland is supportive of efforts to reduce overall permitting timelines for renewable energy projects. However, the scale and complexity of changes necessary to implement these provisions requires an extensive programme of work. Efforts to reduce permitting timelines have been underway, in this context, for some time. This programme of work includes legislative changes to the planning system to meet the RED III requirements. These are being advanced by the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage and the drafting of a Statutory Instrument under the European Communities Act 1972 is at an advanced stage. This SI will amend the Planning and Development Act, as amended, and the Planning and Development Regulations, as amended.

Steps are also being taken to align grid-permitting timelines with the requirements of the Directive. On 26th September 2024, the Commission for Regulation of Utilities published a new electricity generation and system services connection policy, which will shorten the process of obtaining connections.

These changes will allow planning and grid connection processes for renewable energy projects, as defined under RED III, to run concurrently in order to speed up overall permitting timelines.

In addition, an Accelerating Renewable Electricity Taskforce was established by my Department to coordinate the fast-tracked and increased deployment of onshore renewable electricity generation to enable us to meet our 2030 onshore renewable targets. A number of working groups have been established under the aegis of this Taskforce to focus on key work areas, including the relevant permitting articles of RED III. This ensures that matters related to these articles are considered in detail by the relevant Departments and State Bodies.

Every effort is being made to put in place the measures necessary to comply with the permitting requirements of RED III as soon as possible and my Department will continue to engage constructively with the European Commission in this regard.