Ireland has provisionally secured 1,500 GWh of renewable electricity, enough to power 357,000 homes under its Renewable Electricity Support Scheme round 5 (RESS 5). The auction will deliver over 1 GW of onshore capacity, including 860.38 MW of solar PV, and 218.84 MW of wind.
A total of 40 projects applied for this round, of which 33 qualified to enter the competition. Of these, 23 projects have been provisionally adjudged successful, and 10 unsuccessful. In terms of capacity, unsuccessful projects represented a combined 392.15 MW-250 MW of solar and 142.15 MW of wind.
State-owned grid operator EirGrid reveals that the weighted average price of the winning projects was €98.81 ($115.48)/MWh, having gone up from €96.85/MWh in the previous round, maintaining that the increase is well below the general rate of inflation over the same period. For solar PV, the average price was €100.63 ($117.6)/MWh, and for wind €96.56 ($112.8)/MWh.
In the previous round, Ireland awarded 960 MW of solar and 374 MW of wind for weighted average prices of €104.76/MWh and €90.47/MWh, respectively (see Ireland Concludes RESS 4 Auction Round With Over 2 GWh Capacity).
The largest winning project among the lot is the 109 MW Tincurry Solar Farm of Lodgewood Solar Farm Limited, followed by the 105 MW Kilcormac Solar Farm of Harmony Solar Offaly Limited. Ballyvalode Solar Farm of Harmony Solar Limerick Limited and Coolcarrigan Solar Farm of Coolcarrigan Solar Limited are 100 MW strong each.
A complete list of the provisional winners is available on EirGrid’s website. These results are subject to the approval of the country’s Minister for Climate, Energy and the Environment.
“The outcome of the RESS 5 auction confirms solar PV’s pivotal role in Ireland’s clean energy transition, reinforcing its role as Ireland’s fastest growing renewable electricity source,” said Ireland’s Minister for Climate, Energy and the Environment, Darragh O’Brien. “Solar is highly complementary to wind generation, meaning this rapid growth of solar strengthens Ireland’s ability to generate clean electricity all year round, enhancing our security of supply and helping to stabilise electricity prices.”
All winning RESS 5 projects are required to contribute a minimum of €2/MWh to a Community Benefit Fund (CBF), translating into about €45 million or €3 million/year over the life of the RESS, for the communities hosting the facilities.
The 1,500 GWh capacity awarded falls short of Aurora Energy Research’s expectation, which anticipated the RESS 5 to settle around 3,970 GWh compared to the 4,500 GWh target (see Aurora Forecasts Challenges For Ireland’s RESS 5 Auction).
