Onshore energy auction unlikely to drive Ireland to its 2030 green goals

Through RESS5, Ireland bought 854MW of solar PV and 219MW of onshore wind for an average strike price of €98.91/MWh

An Taoiseach Micheál Martin told reporters in New York that renewable energy developments are needed to meet surging demand for tech like AI. The image shows the Taoiseach addressing questions around EirGrid's Celtic Interconnector, a 700 MW high-voltage submarine power cable under construction between Ireland and Brittany.

The latest State-supported auction for onshore renewable projects was a last-ditch effort to achieve Ireland’s 2030 climate targets and the results provided a grim outlook.

The lacklustre results for the fifth Renewable Energy Support Scheme, or RESS5, showed a competition ratio of 1.5, making this auction is the least competitive since RESS2, which was held back in 2022.