Alan Farrell (Dublin Fingal, Fine Gael)
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141. To ask the Minister for Communications, Climate Action and Environment to confirm the date on which the State aid approval for the renewable electricity support scheme will expire; whether he intends to request from the EU Commission an extension to the approval and, if so, when he plans to submit this request; the intended duration of the extension; and what engagement his Department has had with the EU Commission on this matter. [43195/24]

Eamon Ryan (Dublin Bay South, Green Party)
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The Renewable Electricity Support Scheme (RESS) is pivotal to the achievement of Ireland’s target of generating 80% of our electricity from renewable sources by 2030. RESS consists of a series of competitive auctions, four onshore and one offshore to date, in which successful applicants are offered a two-way support arrangement for a period of 15 years.

The RESS received State Aid approval in 2020 and the first auction was held in the same year. State aid approval was granted for a period of 5 years, expiring at the end of 2025, and allowing for a series of auctions to be held up until that date.

As part of the RESS State Aid Decision, Ireland is required to complete an Evaluation Report and submit it to the European Commission before the current state aid approval for the scheme expires. The Evaluation Report covers areas such as competition, technology diversity, delivery rates and community measures and will provide the basis for a state aid notification for a revised or extended scheme.

My Department has initiated the evaluation process, and plan to submit the Evaluation Report before the expiry date of the current approval. In conjunction, my Department is considering the design of a revised or extended scheme for renewable electricity support after 2025 which will consulted on and notified to the European Commission in due course.

Further information on the State Aid Decision on RESS is available on this website: www.gov.ie/en/publication/36d8d2-renewable-electricity-support-scheme/#eu-approval-for-ress