RESS 5 Provisional Auction Results Released

RESS 5 is the fifth annual auction held under the Irish Government’s Renewable Energy Support Scheme (RESS). The scheme is a key initiative in aiming to meet the country’s target of transitioning to 80% renewable electricity by 2030, under the Climate Action Plan.

Notably, the anticipated procured volume under RESS 5 is less than previous auctions. The Department of Climate, Energy and the Environment may have one eye on the Corporate Power Purchase Agreement (CPPA) market, and the target set out in the Climate Action Plan – namely a target of 15% of electricity demand to be delivered by CPPAs. By procuring less renewable electricity projects through RESS, more projects are potentially available to the CPPA market.

Our Energy team summarises the Provisional Auction Results under RESS 5, which were published on Wednesday, 24 September 2025. The Final Auction Results are expected on 15 October 2025, so these results are subject to change.

A total of 40 applicants applied to qualify to participate in RESS 5. 33 projects qualified, 4 projects did not qualify, and 3 applicants formally withdrew from the process.

Each qualified applicant who decided to participate submitted a per-MWh offer price during the auction window. Where the results are finalised and accepted, the offer price will become the strike price for that project, which is the price the successful project will receive for its electrical output.

While individual strike prices are not published, the average strike price is publicly available. The average RESS 5 strike price of €98.81/MWh marks a slight increase from the equivalent RESS 4 figure of €96.85/MWh.

The table below compares the provisional RESS 5 figures with the final results from the previous 4 RESS auctions.

Next Steps

Successful applicants are expected to receive a formal notice of award on 22 October 2025. Following receipt of this, successful applicants must return their signed Implementation Agreement counterpart and Performance Bond by 3 December 2025. By taking these steps, successful applicants commit to, amongst other things, achieving Commercial Operation by 31 December 2030 in order to receive RESS support.

Conclusion

The provisional results of the RESS 5 auction provide tangible evidence of the country’s success in moving towards the goal of 80% renewable electricity by 2030.

Crucially, as discussed at our recent Energy Conference, the success of the RESS auctions also moves Ireland closer to having a more secure energy network, as these projects will operate irrespective of continuing global events, which continue to have a negative effect on fossil fuel prices.

For more information, please contact a member of our Energy team.

The content of this article is provided for information purposes only and does not constitute legal or other advice.

[1] Provisional results