Joe Carey
Question:757. Deputy Joe Carey asked the Minister for Communications, Climate Action and Environment when the support scheme for renewable heat will open; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [23400/19]
View answerTuesday, 11 June 2019
Questions (757)
Written answers
The Support Scheme for Renewable Heat (SSRH) is now fully open for applications.
The first phase of the scheme, an installation grant for heat pumps, opened for applications in September 2018. This phase of the scheme will support ground, air and water source electric heat pump installations providing grant aid of up to 30% of the installation cost.
I opened the second phase of the SSRH, an operational support for biomass boilers and anaerobic digestion heating systems, on 4 June 2019. Under this phase of the scheme, eligible renewable energy technologies will be supported through a multi-annual payment, for a period of up to 15 years, on the basis of prescribed tariffs.
The SSRH has been developed to financially support the adoption of renewable heating systems by commercial, industrial, agricultural, district heating operators and other non-domestic heat users not covered by the EU Emissions Trading System. Under Project Ireland 2040, the National Development Plan sets out an allocation of €300 million for the roll-out of the scheme for the period up to 2027.
The scheme design includes eligibility and sustainability criteria that projects must conform to over the period of support. In addition, there are a number of budgetary controls in order to control overall costs, including project budget caps, a scheme budget cap and periodic tariff reviews to prevent windfall gains. These measures will ensure that heat supported under the SSRH is sustainable, applied for useful purposes and represents value for money for the taxpayer.
The scheme will be administered by the Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland (SEAI) and full details, including how to apply, are available on SEAI’s website at the following link: https://www.seai.ie/sustainable-solutions/support-scheme-renewable-/