REFIT extension and avoiding EU fines

The Government is staring into a substantial headwind of between €98mn and €500mn in EU fines for missing 2020 energy targets. The Renewable Energy Support Scheme (RESS), the mechanism that was supposed to add further renewable capacity to the system to avoid those fines, has yet to get out of the starting blocks.

So, is there anything the government can do to save the taxpayer from these fines?

The Irish Wind Energy Association (IWEA) has put forward a simple proposal to do just that: an extension to the REFIT 2 scheme.

In this week’s blog, we look at whether it would work, and what other options are currently available to the government   

Related thinking

Low carbon generation

Understanding the evolution of the Irish electricity markets

The Irish electricity sector has undergone significant change in recent years. The Integrated Single Electricity Market (I-SEM) arrangements introduced in 2018 fundamentally transformed the market framework to maximise competition, facilitate electricity wholesale trading, and incentivise the development of low-carbon generation sources. In parallel the physical system continues to evolve rapidly....

Low carbon generation

PSO Levy 2022/23: RESS to the Rescue

This week we look at how renewable generation is putting money back in consumers’ pockets - a trend which, based on the power price forecast from our All-Island Forward Curve report, is expected to continue until 2027. Last week the Commission for Regulation of Utilities (CRU) published their final decision...

Low carbon generation

CfD Auction Secures Greatest Amount Of Renewable Capacity To Date

Yesterday, the government released the results of the fourth round of the Contracts for Difference (CfD) scheme, securing almost 11GW of renewable capacity across 93 projects, nearly double the 5.8GW awarded in Allocation Round 3 in 2019. The greatest capacity – at 7.0GW - has been secured from new offshore wind projects,...

Low carbon generation

Ireland to fall short of existing climate targets under BaU approach

Published on 13 September, a report by the Irish Wind Energy Association (IWEA) has called for a new policy system to enable the rapid deployment of renewable electricity. The third in a series of four studies which make up the 70by30 Implementation Plan, Building Onshore Wind identifies policy changes required for Ireland to deliver the...

Low carbon generation

New policy measures needed to drive renewable generation

Published on 24 August, a new report by Energy Storage Ireland and the Irish Wind Energy Association (IWEA) called for action to strengthen Ireland’s electricity grid. The second of a series of four studies which make up the government’s 70 by 30 Implementation Plan, Saving Power outlines how to minimise dispatch down and increase the use...

Low carbon generation

RESS-won: renewables on the march

Yesterday will be remembered as a good day for the Irish renewables industry, with the level of supported renewables capacity set to grow by over a quarter in the next 2-3 years. After years of waiting, the first Renewable Energy Support Scheme auction (RESS-1) results are here (provisionally, pending appeals)....

Commercial and market outlook

Changes: how our Spectrum service is evolving

This article was originally published on 9 June 2020 in our ‘Energy Spectrum Ireland’ publication.  Since Cornwall Insight launched the Energy Spectrum Ireland Service in 2015, it has been providing insight on key developments in the energy markets in Ireland. With the macro market trends of decarbonisation, decentralisation and digitilisation,...

Low carbon generation

RESS-1 application closing date is further extended

With a lot of uncertainty around the impacts of COVID-19 on global supply chains and renewable project delivery we are starting to see the effects in the Irish Energy market, notably the announcement that prequalification for the Renewable Energy Support Scheme in Ireland will be extended. In December 2019, the...