RESS 6 Consultation Open

The Irish Government has launched a consultation on the terms and conditions for the next onshore Renewable Electricity Support Scheme auction. Significant changes are proposed, taking on board lessons learned from previous RESS auctions and implementing requirements of the EU’s Net-Zero Industry Act. Our Energy team discusses the proposed changes and their potential impact on the onshore renewables market.

What you need to know

• The consultation on the terms and conditions for the sixth onshore Renewable Electricity Support Scheme auction (RESS 6) has launched and closes on 13 March 2026, with the final RESS 6 Terms and Conditions expected to be published in Q2 2026.
• The Department of Climate, Energy and the Environment (DCEE) is seeking feedback on significant changes to the current RESS conditions, including revised support duration, higher capacity factors, and extending relief windows for system operator and judicial review delays.
• RESS eligibility may narrow to wind, solar and hybrid projects, with minimum project size increased and technology-specific auction pots introduced.
• Curtailment / oversupply compensation, which could dilute the incentive to develop hybrid projects provided by new energy system integration criteria, may be discontinued.

The consultation on the terms and conditions for the sixth competition under the Renewable Electricity Support Scheme (RESS) is now open.

The DCEE has taken on board lessons learned from previous RESS auctions, as well as the outcomes of their recent consultation on implementing the EU’s Net-Zero Industry Act (NZIA) requirements into RESS. As a result, the proposed terms and conditions for RESS 6 include some significant changes from the RESS 5 Terms and Conditions. The DCEE is keen to receive feedback on any aspects that may impede the efficient and economical delivery of renewable electricity projects under RESS 6.

In particular, the DCEE is seeking stakeholder views on the following eleven areas:

1. Community Benefit Fund
2. RESS 6 Support Duration
3. Capacity Factors
4. Relief Events
5. Minimum Eligible MEC
6. Eligible Technologies
7. Technology-Specific Auction Pots
8. Unrealised Available Energy Compensation
9. Exemptions from NZIA Non-price Criteria for Projects Under 10MW
10. Repowering
11. RESS Market Price Reference Period

Community Benefit Fund

Following the publication in May 2025 of an updated Rulebook for Community Benefit Funds under RESS, changes were made to the RESS 5 Terms and Conditions. These changes were designed to improve the transparency and effectiveness of how community benefit funds (CBFs) operate under RESS.

The DCEE is now considering two further changes to the rules regarding CBFs:

1. Instead of calculating CBF contributions based on actual metered output, which is the current position, RESS CBFs would be required to operate based on a mandatory minimum contribution of €2/MWh of deemed energy output. The deemed energy output would be calculated in the same manner as the Deemed Energy Quantities used for the RESS auction winner selection process, and
2. Instead of having to establish a CBF prior to the RESS longstop date, which is the current position, generators would be required to establish a CBF on or before the date the RESS project receives its Interim Operation Notice from the System Operator.

The DCEE is asking stakeholders for their views on the impact that the first change will have on RESS bid prices, and whether the second change is appropriate. Both changes appear to be aimed at creating more funding certainty and reducing the delay in establishing CBFs.

RESS 6 support duration

RESS support is currently offered for a nominal period of 15 years. Under the EU’s Clean Industrial Deal State Aid Framework (CISAF), the maximum contract length allowable under State-supported Contracts for Difference (CfDs) is 25 years.

In what will mark a fundamental change to RESS auctions, the DCEE is:

• Seeking evidence as to the impact on project deliverability and bid prices of either shortening the RESS support period to 10 years or lengthening the RESS support period to 20 years, and
• Considering options for a phased reduction of support levels over an extended support period, to provide greater investment certainty while minimising the additional risk to electricity consumers.

Capacity factors

The RESS technology capacity factors are used for the purposes of calculating Bid Bonds and Performance Securities, as well as to convert RESS Offer Quantities into Deemed Energy Quantities during the auction process.

The DCEE is of the view that these capacity factors should be updated for RESS 6 to reflect increased technology efficiencies. It proposes to increase the onshore wind capacity factor from 35% to 45% and the solar capacity factor from 11% to 14%. Stakeholders have been asked to consider whether these are an accurate reflection of current capacity factors in Ireland.

Relief events

Relief events for System Operator (SO) and Judicial Review (JR) delays outside of a project’s control have been a feature of RESS since RESS 4. The DCEE is considering extending the relief window for SO and JR delays from two years to three years. It has asked whether this extension would provide greater investment certainty for projects competing in future auctions, and therefore result in lower bid prices. This reflects the actual delay periods certain projects are facing, and will be welcomed.

Minimum eligible MEC

Currently, projects must have a maximum export capacity (MEC) of at least 0.5MW to be eligible to compete in RESS auctions. The DCEE is proposing that the minimum eligible MEC for future RESS auctions should be increased to 1MW, the maximum allowable under the CISAF rules.

Eligible technologies

To date, RESS has operated on a technology-neutral basis. However in practice, only onshore wind, solar and hybrid projects combining those technologies with battery storage have participated in RESS auctions.

With the introduction of the NZIA resilience criteria, which differ by technology, separate auction pots may be required for each eligible technology. The DCEE therefore considers it appropriate to limit eligibility for RESS to onshore wind and solar projects, as well as hybrid projects incorporating those technologies and electricity storage. This proposal is pragmatic, intended to avoid the extensive administrative burden of developing resilience criteria and compliance procedures for technologies that historically have not taken part in RESS.

The DCEE is also seeking feedback on the challenges facing the delivery of renewables projects other than onshore wind and solar, and whether alternative support mechanisms are needed for these technologies.

Technology-specific auction pots

The DCEE’s Initial Decision and Consultation Response on the implementation of the NZIA requirements into RESS (NZIA Implementation Decision) was published on 22 December 2025. It noted that future RESS auctions will implement technology-specific auction pots. Given the DCEE’s intention to limit future RESS auctions to onshore wind and solar projects, this would result in a dual-pot structure for future auctions.

The DCEE is seeking feedback on the application of the RESS auction parameters in a dual-pot auction, as well as the potential for reallocation of capacity between technology pots in the event that one pot is undersubscribed.

Unrealised Available Energy Compensation

Unrealised Available Energy Compensation (UAEC) mitigates the risk of increasing network curtailment and oversupply by compensating successful RESS projects for curtailed generation. UAEC has been a feature of RESS since RESS 3.

The DCEE is considering whether UAEC is still appropriate for RESS, in light of the non-price criteria under the Energy System Integration (ESI) heading from the NZIA that will apply for future RESS auctions. For the purposes of winner selection from RESS 6 onwards, additional points will be awarded for hybrid projects consisting of one or more renewable generation technologies and/or electricity storage.

The DCEE sees a risk that if UAEC is retained as part of RESS, it will dilute the incentive to develop hybrid projects provided by the new ESI criteria. Noting that certain policy and market arrangements, like MEC sharing, are currently under development outside the scope of RESS, the DCEE is seeking views on whether the removal or adjustment of UAEC is appropriate at this point.

Exemptions from NZIA non-price criteria for projects under 10MW

In its NZIA Implementation Decision, the DCEE raised the possibility of excluding projects with a capacity of 10MW or less from RESS. Instead, those projects could be included in a different scheme to avail of the exemption on the application of the NZIA to those projects.

The DCEE is now asking stakeholders whether smaller projects are likely to be unduly impacted by the new NZIA non-price criteria, particularly the resilience and ESI criteria, compared to larger projects.

Repowering

Currently, repowering projects are only permitted to participate in RESS auctions if their deemed annual electricity output will increase by at least 50% compared to the average annual output of the existing renewable generation project at the site. Repowering projects must also meet the €300,000/MW investment threshold, which applies to all projects.

The DCEE is seeking feedback on the appropriateness of these repowering conditions and potential alternatives to ensure the effectiveness of RESS as a route to market for repowered projects.

RESS Market Price Reference period

Currently, the Market Reference Price for variable renewable projects supported under RESS is the hourly Day Ahead Market price.

The European Commission published a guidance document in December 2025 on the design of two-way Contract for Difference (CfD) schemes. Their recommendations included the use of longer reference periods to incentivise beneficiaries to participate efficiently in forward electricity markets. Longer reference periods should also incentivise the performance of maintenance in a cost-efficient manner.

With that in mind, the DCEE is seeking feedback on the impact of introducing a longer market price reference period for future RESS projects.

Increased visibility on potential applications for RESS 6

As well as seeking feedback on the issues we have outlined, the DCEE is asking generators to indicate if they intend to participate in RESS 6, and the quantity, name and scale of their projects.

Key dates

Comment

This consultation proposes the most fundamental changes to RESS to date, so participation by all industry stakeholders is important.

Stakeholders have until 5pm on 13 March 2026 to submit their feedback to the DCEE by email or post. The DCEE will also be hosting a workshop during the consultation period, details of which will be published in due course. The consultation will then culminate with the publication of the final RESS 6 Terms and Conditions, taking into account the consultation responses.

It should be noted that the RESS 6 auction is subject to State Aid approval from the European Commission. However, the consultation document indicates that this approval is expected to be in place “in sufficient time to allow the RESS 6 auction timetable to be met”. That auction timetable has not yet been published, but the current industry expectation is that the RESS 6 auction will be run in the autumn of 2026.

The DCEE’s consultation paper is available online.

For more information and expert guidance, 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.