Grant aid boost for wind energy farms
Communications, Climate Action and Environment Minister Denis Naughten has extended wind farm connection deadlines in the REFIT 2 support scheme.
REFIT 2 is a feed-in tariff scheme established in 2012 to support development of up to 4,000MW of electricity generating capacity, from wind, hydro and biomass landfill gas technologies.
The 4,000MW would fulfil the government’s target of 40% electricity from renewable sources by 2020; but only 2,500MW is currently connected.
REFIT 2 indluded deadlines for initial support applications (December 31, 2015), and deadlines for the connection of each project admitted into the scheme.
No new applications can be submitted under the REFIT scheme.
However, there have been extensions to three important deadlines:
- the construction/energisation deadline has been extended from December 31, 2017, to December 31, 2019;
- the off-take deadline has been extended from September 30, 2018, to March 31, 2020;
- the deadline to meet the application conditions in respect of full grant of planning permission and grid connection has been extended from December 31, 2016, to December 31, 2017.
Projects will not receive support beyond December 31, 2032, which means that less than the standard 15 years of support will be available to some delayed projects.
Delivery of the target of 40% renewable electricity had been threatened by delays in some larger wind energy projects, which would leave them missing the December 31, 2017 delivery deadline.
