Consultation opens on First Auction to Supply Electricity from Offshore Wind under the Renewable Electricity Support Scheme (ORESS 1)

The Department of the Environment, Climate and Communications has opened a consultation on the first auction to supply electricity from offshore wind under the Renewable Electricity Support Scheme (ORESS 1).

The first offshore auction will be a major step towards meeting the Government’s goals of up to 80% renewable electricity by 2030, with 5GW coming from offshore wind. It will also support achievement of the objectives set out under the Climate Action Bill and the measures set out in the Climate Action Plan 2021.

The aim of this targeted consultation is to engage stakeholders and gather feedback on aspects of the Terms and Conditions to ensure the efficient and economical delivery of renewable electricity projects under ORESS 1. Views are being sought from all interested parties.

Minister for the Environment, Climate and Communications, Eamon Ryan TD, said:

What is the Renewable Electricity Support Scheme (RESS)?

The RESS provides support to renewable electricity projects in Ireland. With a primary focus on cost effectiveness, the RESS delivers a broad range of policy objectives, including:

• increasing energy security, energy sustainability and ensuring the cost effectiveness of energy policy
• providing for community participation through community benefit funds
• increasing technology diversity – by broadening the renewable electricity technology mix
• delivering an ambitious renewable electricity policy to 2030

Renewable electricity is a central element of our actions on climate disruption and delivering a ‘renewables revolution’, as set out in the Programme for Government. The RESS ensures that we are on a pathway to meet our ambitious climate targets. It lays the foundations of a thriving and cost effective renewable electricity market. This will support the growth of the green economy, create sustainable work opportunities and will ultimately benefit the consumer as renewables become more cost effective.

Further information

Further information can be found Item was unpublished or removed The closing time and date is 5:30pm on Monday, 6th December 2021.

ENDS

Ireland has one of the best offshore renewable energy resources in the world with a sea area of 490,000km2 (square kilometres) – approximately 7 times the size of our landmass. Because of Ireland’s location at the Atlantic edge of Europe, we have more offshore energy potential than most other EU Member States. Ireland’s coast is one of the most energy productive in Europe, with a long-term potential of 70GW of ocean energy opportunity (wind, wave and tidal) within 100km of the Irish coastline.

The Climate Action Plan includes a suite of actions to realise the potential of Ireland’s offshore renewable energy (ORE) potential, while the Programme for Government commits to the achievement of 5GW of installed offshore wind capacity by 2030 and a long-term plan to take advantage of a potential of at least 30GW of floating wind thereafter.

Enactment of the Maritime Area Planning (MAP) Bill will provide the legislative underpinning and flexibility to allow Ireland to move, in a phased manner, from the current decentralised regime towards a more centralised, plan-led regime in line with the framework established for marine spatial planning.

DECC has published draft terms and conditions for the first offshore wind-specific auction under the Renewable Electricity Support Scheme (RESS). Owing to the specific scale and nature of typical offshore wind farms, dedicated auctions are initially required to support the longer-term potential of this technology in Ireland. This approach, along with the RESS scheme itself, received state aid clearance in July 2020.

At least three offshore auctions are currently planned. Due to the relatively long development timelines of offshore wind projects, only the first two of these auctions can be expected to contribute towards our 2030 5GW installed capacity target.

A number of milestones are required before the launch of the first offshore wind auction (ORESS 1); namely, the enactment of the MAP Bill, the commencement of relevant secondary legislation, the establishment of a Maritime Area Consent (MAC) process and the issuing of MACs to Phase One offshore projects. Additionally, an offshore grid connection assessment process must be established; this is being progressed by the CRU (Commission for Regulation of Utilities) in tandem with the ORESS 1 terms and conditions development.