Government green energy targets are sliding out of reach as planning delays continue to hinder new projects, experts warn, following the latest effort to lure new renewable electricity plants.
Climate plan goals include generating 80 per cent of electricity from wind, solar and other renewables by 2030 to aid efforts to cut greenhouse gas emissions.
However, consultants and the industry warn that the State will struggle to reach that figure, as many projects are stuck in the planning system.
Their comments follow the final results of an auction last week that resulted in deals with developers to supply 1,500 megawatts (MW) of wind- and solar-generated electricity in the Republic, enough to power 350,000 homes, at an average price of €98.79 per megawatt hour, the unit in which electricity is sold.
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The Department of Climate branded the auction, dubbed the Renewable Energy Support Scheme 5 (Ress 5), a success, as it secured the amount of electricity aimed for when it sought bids in August.
But Nick Civetta, project leader at global consultants Aurora Energy Research, said the auction was the least competitive since 2022, securing bids from developers with 1,500MW from a potential 2,600MW.
“This was the last auction with a realistic pathway to bring capacity online ahead of the 2030 target,” he said.
Under the Ress, power companies bid to supply electricity at fixed prices, with contracts going to the cheapest offers. The more participants the auctions attract, the lower the average price should be.
Mr Civetta argued the “limited volume” secured through the process indicates that onshore wind and solar may struggle to meet the 80 per cent target on their own.
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decision-making
He suggested that the focus would shift to offshore wind projects proposed for the Irish Sea to reach the goal. However, construction work has yet to begin on these developments.
Prolonged planning disputes, hold-ups over electricity grid connections and other issues have dogged recent auctions, according to Mr Civetta.
Noel Cunniffe, chief executive of industry group Wind Energy Ireland, blamed slow decision-making by An Bord Pleanála (now An Coimisiún Pleanála) for the low number of bids that the Ress auction attracted.
“At one point, we went a full 11 months without a wind project coming out of the board,” he said.
Wind Energy Ireland will work with the Government to make next year’s Ress auction “one of the last for any project looking to be built by 2030″ as big as it can be, added Mr Cunniffe.
The organisation will also aid developers who have not secured deals through the Ress system in finding alternative ways to sell their electricity, he pledged.
Most industry figures now say that no one believes the State will hit its 80 per cent renewables target by 2030.
A Department of Climate spokeswoman said the Republic met 41.4 per cent of its electricity demand from renewables last year.
She added that the results of last week’s auction “compared well” with similar procedures in Europe in terms of price and the amount of power secured.
“Ress 5 may not be the final opportunity for onshore projects to contribute to 2030 targets,” said the spokeswoman.
Future developments could still contribute to meeting the targets, as once building work begins on wind or solar power plants, they can start supplying electricity within two years, she explained.
The department’s spokeswoman acknowledged that some developers may not have taken part in Ress 5 as they may still have been considering offers to connect to the electricity grid or seeking planning permission.
