Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 20 October 2020
143. Deputy Patricia Ryan asked the Minister for Environment, Climate and Communications if he will increase the ring-fenced funding for community projects under the renewable electricity support scheme; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [31439/20]
Amharc ar fhreagraIt is my intention that communities all over the country should be able to generate electricity and reap the benefits in their own localities from the sale of that electricity. In that regard, I aim to ensure the delivery of approximately 100 community electricity generation projects by 2030.
The Renewable Electricity Support Scheme (RESS) will be the main driver in the delivery of this objective. Last month I announced that seven community projects had filled the allocated community capacity in the first commercial auction under the scheme. In future onshore RESS auctions, there will be additional capacity allocated to the community category and I expect that only fully community-owned projects will be eligible.
In order to ensure an adequate pipeline of such projects I have allocated an additional €3 million in capital funding in Budget 2021 for the Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland (SEAI) to stimulate locally-owned community energy projects. This funding will enable SEAI to deploy a range of capacity-building supports including information dissemination, trusted intermediary and advisor services, and financial supports such as enabling grants.
The SEAI has commenced assessing the next wave of community projects through the Sustainable Energy Community network. The initial call has already identified circa 20 of the more mature projects for immediate support. A further wave of projects has been identified for later support. Already SEAI has set up a dedicated telephone number, email address and website resources to facilitate further community empowerment.
