Pa Daly (Kerry, Sinn Fein)
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148. To ask the Minister for Environment, Community and Local Government if he aware that the European Commission has launched infringement proceedings for delaying the transposition of the Renewable Energy Directive III into national law; the reasons for the delay; the timeline for transposition; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [49049/25]

Darragh O'Brien (Dublin Fingal East, Fianna Fail)
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The third Renewable Energy Directive (RED III, EU Directive 2023/2413) entered into force in November 2023. RED III provides the legal framework for the increased deployment of renewable energy across the EU by 2030. RED III is a wide-ranging Directive which includes requirements for the permit-granting procedure for renewable energy projects, in addition to requirements designed to increase the share of renewables across the electricity, heat and transport sectors, as well as in industry and buildings.

A programme of work is underway to transpose the requirements of RED III as soon as possible, with a particular focus on requirements for renewable energy permitting,which had an earlier transposition deadline of July 2024. While my Department is coordinating transposition of RED III, transposition and implementation of the Directive requires coordinated action across a range of Government Departments, Agencies and other bodies. Transposition of RED III is one of a broad suite of measures being undertaken by Government to support the increased uptake of renewable energy.

RED III is a complex Directive and Ireland, along with the majority of EU Member States, has faced challenges in implementing the necessary requirements by the required deadlines. This has resulted in infringement proceedings being taken against Ireland by the European Commission regarding RED III, along with most other EU Member States.

Important progress has been made and continues to be made to meet the RED III requirements. In respect of renewable energy permitting, legislative changes were recently enacted to the Irish planning code by my colleague the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage, to meet the RED III permitting requirements through S.I. 274 of 2025. These changes to the planning system are designed to complement changes currently being implemented to the process for securing a grid connection in order to streamline and accelerate the permit granting procedure for renewable energy projects.

In parallel, steps are being taken to transpose the wider RED III requirements which had a transposition deadline of May 2025. The progression of these measures has been affected by the need to focus on open infringement proceedings regarding RED II. Notwithstanding, a wide range of measures are currently being progressed. This includes the drafting of secondary legislation, which is underway in this Department and the Department of Transport, to address requirements for renewables in the heat and transport sectors respectively.

Ireland continues to engage regularly with the European Commission in the context of infringement proceedings as we work to transpose the RED III requirements as soon as possible.