- The Irish government approved RESS’s final results.
- Solar photovoltaic (PV) projects received most of the allocated capacity.
- The upcoming plants’ aggregate yearly output is expected to reach 2,748 GWh.
The Irish government approved the final results of Ireland’s second Renewable Electricity Support Scheme 2 (RESS 2) auction on Tuesday, paving the way for deploying more than 1.9 GW of additional wind and solar power capacity.
The tender was completed in May, and 80 projects were awarded contracts for up to 16.5 years with a guaranteed price for power. The winning bids had an average strike price of EUR 97.87 (USD 102.05) per MWh, up from EUR 74.08/MWh in the inaugural 2020 round.
Solar photovoltaic (PV) projects received most of the allocated capacity, totalling 1,534 MW, while onshore wind received 414 MW from 11 schemes. The selected projects, which state-owned electric power transmission operator Eirgrid provisionally approved, are due to be completed between 2023 and 2025.
The upcoming plants’ aggregate yearly output is expected to reach 2,748 GWh.
Ireland won 1.28 GW of solar and onshore wind capacity in its first renewable energy auction in 2020. To support its 80% renewable energy goal by 2030, the nation plans to run five comparable rounds between 2020 and 2025. According to the government, the new capacity contracted through the RESS 2 plan will increase Ireland’s installed renewable electricity generation capacity by about 20%.