Renewable Electricity Support Scheme (RESS)

The Renewable Electricity Support Scheme (RESS) is an Irish Government initiative that is playing a key role in reaching Ireland’s target of generating at least 80% of electricity from renewable sources.

The scheme provides financial support to grid-scale renewable electricity projects across the country.

The RESS is a competitive auction-based scheme which invites qualifying renewable electricity projects to bid in with a price they will receive for the duration of the RESS support.

The auction takes the form of a simple, sealed bid auction of eligible offers. Lowest price bids are selected first, until the quantity sought is achieved. Further information on the auction process is available from the auction administrator, EirGrid’s, website.

This price bid is a guaranteed minimum, and also maximum, so if the market price for electricity is below the bid price, they will receive support, if the market price for electricity is above the bid price, they are required to pay the difference back. In this way, RESS provides consumer protection, whereby supported projects are required to pay into the scheme when market prices exceed their RESS bid price.

RESS builds on the foundation established by the Renewable Energy Feed-in Tariff schemes and further advances Ireland’s support for renewable electricity generation.

RESS 1 projects have a support period of up to a maximum duration of sixteen (16) years.

Any projects that were successful in RESS 2 to RESS 5 have a support period subject to a maximum duration of sixteen and a half (16.5) years for a RESS Project that achieves Commercial Operation early and a minimum duration of fourteen (14) years.

Three key representatives are involved in the operation of the RESS. These include the Minister (when applicable the Minister’s designee acting through the Minister), the Regulatory Authority (Commission for Regulation of Utilities) and the Auction Administrator (EirGrid).

The Minister’s role involves:

• Responsibility for the design of the RESS policy (including the establishment of RESS competitions).
• Making decisions with respect to the RESS auctions and the development of terms and conditions applicable to each RESS auction.
• Obtaining State aid approval for the scheme from the EU Commission.
• Setting clear dates and rules for the delivery of projects.
• Overseeing the progress of RESS projects throughout their delivery phase.

The Regulatory Authority is responsible for;

• Advising the Minister the potential availability of supply for each RESS competition.
• Outlining the competition parameters for each RESS auction.
• Appointing and overseeing the Auction Monitor and Market Auditor.
• The ongoing administration and calculation of RESS payments through the Public Service Obligation (PSO) Levy in accordance with the provisions set out in the terms and conditions of each RESS auction by the Minister and the requirements of the Electricity Regulation Act 1999.

The Auction Administrator’s has the responsibility of:

• Primarily overseeing each RESS competition in line with the provisions outlined in the terms and conditions of each RESS competition.
  

Other responsibilities include;

• Administration of application, qualification and competitive bidding processes for competitions established by the Minister and as provided for in the terms and conditions of the relevant RESS competition.
• Submission of results of a RESS competition to the Minister.
• Working closely with the Auction Monitor and the Market Auditor and providing any information as required in accordance with the terms and conditions of the relevant RESS competition.

RESS Auctions are administered by the Auction Administrator (EirGrid) in line with the RESS Terms and Conditions.

There are several steps taken to complete a RESS Auction, see below summary;

1. The Auction Administrator will accept Applications for Qualification.
2. Applicants will pay their Bid Bonds no later than the Bid Bond Posting Date as set out in the relevant RESS Terms and Conditions.
3. The Auction Administrator will check each application to see if it meets the eligibility criteria set out in the Terms and Conditions.
4. A Provisional Qualification Decision will be made by the Auction Administrator.
5. Applicants are notified regarding the Final Qualification Decision, and each qualified applicant sends their offer price to the Auction Administrator.
6. The RESS Auction is conducted, and Awards are then notified to Successful Applicants.

There have been five RESS auctions held so far:

• RESS 1 in 2020
• RESS 2 in 2022
• RESS 3 in 2023
• RESS 4 in 2024 and
• RESS 5 in September 2025.

The RESS is funded by the Public Service Obligation (PSO) levy which supports the development of renewable electricity in Ireland. RESS supports is currently provided to technologies such as wind and solar and is key to decarbonising our electricity system over the longer term in line with the Climate Action Plan and the Programme for Government.

The PSO levy is applied to all electricity customers and is and is collected through electricity suppliers as part of their bills and is shown under “Standing Charges” on a bill.
The PSO Levy for 2026 is €1.46 per month for residential customers.

Money raised from the PSO levy supports renewable electricity generation that qualifies for support through various government schemes including the RESS.

The Commission for the Regulation of Utilities (CRU) is charged with calculating and administering the PSO. CRU publishes a Final PSO Decision Paper annually. This paper details the calculation behind the PSO amount to be deducted from, or credited to customers’ bills for the upcoming PSO Levy period. The most recent Final Decision Paper on the PSO Levy from the CRU, which covers the period 1 October 2025 to 30 September 2026 is available here.

RESS projects which have begun generating electricity and are eligible for PSO support are listed on the annual PSO Statutory Instrument, the most recent of which can be found on the Irish Statute Book website here: S.I. No. 689/2025 - Electricity Regulation Act 1999 (Public Service Obligations) (Amendment) Order 2025.

RESS provides for consumer protection

The price bid into a RESS auction is a guaranteed minimum and also maximum, so at points in time where the market price for electricity is below the price bid into the auction, a generator will receive support to bring the price up to that bid in the auction, if the market price for electricity is above the bid price, they are required to pay the difference back.

Eg. A project bids into a RESS auction at a price of €80.
The project is successful in the auction and is contracted to RESS at that price.
Once the project begins producing electricity, and for a period of 15 years, they are guaranteed by their RESS contract to receive €80 per unit of electricity produced.
If the market price is €76, they will be “topped up” by €4 from the PSO, to ensure they receive the €80.
If the market price is €85, they are required to pay the €5 (over their bid price of €80) back into the PSO.

In this way, RESS provides consumer protection, whereby supported projects are required to pay into the scheme when market prices exceed their RESS bid price.

The monthly PSO Levy amounts for residential customers for recent years are below:

Establishing the RESS

The RESS was established in accordance with the requirements of Articles 4 and 6 of Directive (EU) 2018/2001 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 11 December 2018 regarding support schemes for energy from renewable sources and the stability of financial support for renewable energy. The Statutory Instrument giving effect to these articles was S.I. No. 365/2020 - European Union (Renewable Energy) Regulations 2020.

The powers required to administer the auction were given to the Transmission System Operator, EirGird, by S.I. No. 56/2020 - Electricity Regulation Act 1999 (Public Service Obligations) (Amendment) Order 2020.

Annual legislation
The annual PSO legislation, which is a law passed by the Oireachtas, is prepared by the Department of Climate, Energy and the Environment.
Department officials prepare a Public Service Obligation (PSO) Levy Statutory Instrument (SI) (an order or regulation made by a Minister in exercise of a power conferred by Statute) annually, which lists (RESS, its predecessor – REFIT, and also SRESS) renewable electricity generation projects entitled to receive support payments. Only projects listed on the SI can receive support under either REFIT, RESS or SRESS.

Once the SI is signed it is laid before the Houses of the Oireachtas and published in the Irish Statute Book.

The most recent PSO Statutory Instrument can be accessed below. All previous SIs are also available on the Irish Statute Book website.

S.I. No. 689/2025 - Electricity Regulation Act 1999 (Public Service Obligations) (Amendment) Order 2025

On 20 July 2020, Ireland received State aid approval from the European Union to operate a Renewable Electricity Support Scheme (RESS) out to 2025. The European Commission assessed the scheme under EU State aid rules, in particular under the 2014 Guidelines on State aid for environmental protection and energy. The European Commission concluded that the Irish RESS is in line with EU State aid rules, as it promotes the generation of electricity from renewable sources, in line with the European Green Deal, without unduly distorting competition. A press release from Minister Ryan’s announcement in July 2020 gives further information on the approval.

On 27 April 2023, Ireland notified an amendment to RESS under the Temporary Crisis and Transition Framework for State aid measures to support the economy following the aggression against Ukraine by Russia, known as the “Temporary Crisis and Transition Framework (TCTF)”. The approval granted under the TCTF on 13 June 2023 is available on the European Commission website.

Each RESS project must establish a Community Benefit Fund (CBF), contributing €2 per Megawatt hour (MWh) of electricity produced to local initiatives, as decided by the locals themselves. The funds generated will support local infrastructure, energy upgrades, education etc with the consumers located near renewable projects directly benefiting from this funding. These funds are designed to ensure that RESS projects contribute to sustainable community initiatives and empower local communities to support local causes and at least 40% of funds must be aligned with the UN Sustainable Development Goals which focus on sustainability, climate action and community development.

Renewable energy, particularly wind energy, is already making a significant contribution to communities across Ireland through job creation, CBFs, and revenue to local authorities through rates, that can be reinvested in local communities and services.

After the first Community Benefit Funds (CBFs) were registered and started funding initiatives in their local areas, the Department became aware of the need to address some issues that have been identified by stakeholders.

In December 2024, a public consultation was held to gather feedback on the learnings, successes and challenges gained through the establishment of the first CBFs. The aim was to ensure that CBFs remain effective and responsive to community needs.

The Department carefully considered all comments and suggestions and, in response, the Terms and Conditions for RESS 1, 2, 3, and 4 have been modified.

All RESS projects are required to register both the project and its associated CBF on the Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland’s (SEAI) National CBF Register.

For more information on RESS CBFs, visit our page Community Benefit Funds under the Renewable Electricity Support Scheme.

The EU Net-Zero Industry Act (NZIA) entered into force on 30 December 2025. Article 26 of the NZIA applies to renewable electricity auctions and is intended to strengthen the Union’s supply-chain diversification and resilience through the use of non-price criteria in the award of support. To inform Ireland’s approach to implementing Article 26 within the Renewable Electricity Support Scheme (RESS), the Department of Climate, Energy and the Environment conducted a public consultation that opened on 10 October 2025 and closed on 21 November 2025. The consultation document, together with the Initial Decision and Consultation Response, can be found on the consultation’s webpage.

The outcomes of this consultation have informed the Department’s initial approach to the integration of NZIA requirements into future RESS auctions. A limited number of implementation issues have been identified that will required further consideration, and these are addressed as part of the RESS 6 consultation.

Alternative support schemes for renewable electricity projects that may not be suited for the RESS, include the Small-Scale Renewable Electricity Support Scheme (SRESS) and the Micro-Generation Support Scheme (MSS).

Contact the RESS Team

• For any RESS queries, please contact the RESS Team at ress@dcee.gov.ie.