Carol Nolan (Offaly, Independent)
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306. To ask the Minister for Communications, Climate Action and Environment to provide the commissioning date and the annual energy output for the renewable electricity support scheme wind farm projects (details supplied) located in County Offaly, broken down by quarter, for each year since commissioning; the community benefit fund total for each operating year, in tabular form; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [23456/25]

Carol Nolan (Offaly, Independent)
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307. To ask the Minister for Communications, Climate Action and Environment to provide the community benefit fund accounts for the renewable electricity support scheme wind farm projects (details supplied), for each year since commissioning; if he will advise if the community benefit fund accounts will be made publicly available on the SEAI-administered online register, as prescribed by the RESS Good Practice Principles Community Benefit Fund Handbook; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [23457/25]

Darragh O'Brien (Dublin Fingal East, Fianna Fail)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 306 and 307 together.

The Renewable Electricity Support Scheme (RESS) mandates the establishment of Community Benefit Funds (CBFs). Each RESS Project is required to contribute a minimum payment of €2 per Megawatt-hour (MWh) of electricity generated annually to its respective CBF. The RESS Terms and Conditions specify the mandatory distribution of these monies, setting a minimum payment for near neighbours.

Local projects to be supported by the Community Benefit Fund are decided upon by the members of the relevant Fund Committee, consisting of a number of volunteer community representatives, the generator and the administrator.

All funds need to submit an annual report to the Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland (SEAI) including details of annual energy output, annual CBF total contributions, and how the funds have been spent. Further information is available on the SEAI website, including annual energy production and total CBF amounts: www.seai.ie/grants/community-grants/community-benefit-funds.

My Department ran a public consultation that closed on the 7 March 2025 in which stakeholders expressed their views on the proposed changes to CBFs under RESS. Through this review, it is intended to improve the sharing, accessing and transparency of information relating to Community Benefit Funds and to simplifying the operation of the Funds. This is expected to include introducing a mechanism to ensure that CBFs open the funding application process within the first year after energisation, with applicants receiving a decision during this period.

The number of RESS projects included in the CBF National Register is currently limited, due to RESS Projects experiencing delays in energisation and, consequently, in commencing contributions to their CBFs. As additional RESS Projects become energised, the CBF National Register will be updated to include information on a greater number of CBFs.

Details of projects funded through Community Benefit Funds and the amounts awarded to them will be made publicly available so as to allow information sharing within and between local communities and to ensure accountability by the Benefit Funds. The SEAI are upgrading their CBF dashboard to provide further detail of how funds are allocated for each initiative funded by the CBFs. This will be available for each of the referenced renewable projects and for all other operational RESS projects.

Residents living in the proximity of a RESS project with a query about the disbursal of funds should, in the first instance, contact the SEAI Community Benefit Fund Team at benefitfund@seai.ie.