Pa Daly (Kerry, Sinn Fein)
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20. To ask the Minister for Communications, Climate Action and Environment when the next renewable electricity support scheme and offshore renewable electricity support scheme auctions will be held; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [6659/25]

Darragh O'Brien (Dublin Fingal East, Fianna Fail)
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The ORESS Tonn Nua offshore wind auction will be Ireland's second offshore wind auction and the first to take place under the Phase Two plan led approach. Tonn Nua will auction a 900 megawatt site in the South Coast Designated Maritime Area Plan (DMAP), approved by the Oireachtas in 2024. The Terms and Conditions for the Tonn Nua Auction were also approved by Government and published on 30 October 2024.

An updated Indicative Roadmap to Auction was published on 18 December 2024. The Roadmap sets out indicative dates for various steps on the critical path to the auction. The pre-qualification phase is due to open in May 2025, with the auction bidding window taking place in June. This indicative schedule will be kept under review in consultation with the offshore wind industry.

Delivery of the fifth onshore RESS auction, RESS 5, is one of the key actions for the second carbon budget period (2026-2030) and will therefore represent an important contribution towards Ireland's 2030 renewable electricity targets. A consultation on the RESS 5 Terms and Conditions recently closed on Friday 14th February, and submissions will now be considered as the Terms and Conditions are developed to be brought to Government for approval. As in previous auction rounds, a RESS 5 Final Auction Timetable will be published alongside the Terms and Conditions in advance of qualification opening, with the auction due to take place in Q3 this year.