The Public Service Obligation (PSO) levy, which has been in place since 2001, is determined by the Commission for Energy Regulation (CER) and is charged to all electricity customers. It is the overall support mechanism of the Irish Government and consists of various support schemes to contribute to national policy objectives related to generating plants covering renewable energy, indigenous fuels (peat) and security of supply. It is designed to compensate electricity suppliers for the additional costs they incur by purchasing electricity generated by these producers.
Overall, the total PSO amount set for the 2014/15 PSO period for the renewable support schemes was €94.3 million out of a total PSO levy of €335.4 million. The levy amount for 2015/2016 is €325.3 million, of which €180.9 million has been allocated to renewable electricity generation.
The relevant CER Decisions on the PSO levy include details in regard to the total levy amounts, broken down by support scheme. The CER Decisions are available at www.cer.ie.
Some 2,002 MW of renewable generation capacity was supported in the 2014/15 PSO levy period, with onshore wind accounting for the vast majority of the support.
Details in regard to levy payments to individual wind farms are not publicly available. However, details in relation to the names and locations of companies in receipt of payments from the PSO levy for the 2014/2015 period are listed on SI 603 of 2014 which is publicly available at www.irishstatutebook.ie.
