From Department of the Environment, Climate and Communications
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Consultation is closed
This consultation is on the Draft Rules and Guidance for ORESS 1 Community Benefit Fund proposals.
This is a dedicated follow-up consultation following the Draft Terms and Conditions for the First Offshore Competition under the Renewable Electricity Support Scheme (ORESS 1) which was undertaken in October 2021.
The revised ORESS Community Benefit Fund proposals create a framework for local communities to benefit from and participate in their local offshore renewable electricity project. The Rules & Guidance include draft ORESS 1 Communities Terms & Conditions which together set out the basis on which each fund must be established and how it must be conducted so as to be properly representative of the local community and wholly inclusive in all its decision-making. This includes regulatory and compliance obligations.
Local coastal communities will play a central role in facilitating and supporting the development of Ireland’s offshore renewable electricity ambitions. This is a vital component in meeting Ireland’s commitments under the Climate Action Plan 2021. Phase 1 and Phase 2 of offshore wind are expected to deliver 5GW of installed capacity. The projects comprising these two phases are expected to have total obligations to local communities of €35 million per annum.
The aim of this targeted consultation is to receive stakeholder feedback on the revised ORESS 1 Community Benefit Fund proposals. These draft Rules and Guidance exclusively relate to the first offshore auction and should not be taken as a basis for future planned offshore auctions.
The closing date for submissions is 5.30pm on Friday 9 September 2022
Submissions should be sent by email to oress@decc.gov.ie or by post to:
ORESS 1 Community Benefit Fund Consultation 2022
International and Offshore Wind Division
Department of the Environment, Climate and Communications
29-31 Adelaide Road
Dublin D02 X285
We are committed to engaging with stakeholders in a clear, open and transparent manner. Any person or organisation can make a submission in relation to this consultation. All submissions and feedback will be considered before the final version of the Terms and Conditions is published.
Please note that responses to this consultation are subject to the provisions of the Freedom of Information Act 2014 (FOI), Access to Information on the Environment Regulations 2007-2018 (AIE) and the Data Protection Act 2018.
Please also note that we intend to publish the contents of all submissions received to our consultations on our website. We will redact personal data prior to publication. In responding to this consultation, parties should clearly indicate where their responses contain personal information, commercially sensitive information or confidential information which they would not wish to be released under FOI, AIE or otherwise published.
We would like to draw your attention to our Data Privacy Notice which explains how and when we collect personal data, why we do so and how we treat this information. It also explains your rights in relation to the collection of personal information and how you can exercise those rights.
