The government of Ireland has approved the terms and conditions of ORESS 1, the first auction for offshore wind under the renewable electricity support scheme.
The offshore auction, the first in Ireland's history, is expected to provide a route to market for as much as 2.5 gigawatts of offshore renewable energy to the Irish grid — enough to power 2.5 million Irish homes with clean electricity.
The offshore wind projects developed via ORESS will be required to make community benefit fund contributions, from construction phase throughout the duration of the support period — typically for a total period of 25 years.
“The publication of these ORESS 1 terms and conditions is another massive step forward for offshore wind, for Irish climate leadership and toward Ireland’s future as an international green energy hub,” said Eamon Ryan, Ireland’s minister for the environment. “The first stage of this transformative auction will start before Christmas, and i