The results of the fifth auction under the Government's Renewable Electricity Support Scheme (RESS 5) have been released by EirGrid, confirming that five onshore wind projects have successfully secured contracts.

These wind developments represent a combined capacity of 219 MW, contributing to Ireland's ongoing transition toward sustainable energy.

The auction also saw significant success for solar energy, with 18 projects awarded contracts for a total capacity of 860 MW. Across the entire auction, the weighted average price for combined wind and solar projects was recorded at €98.81 per MWh. This figure represents a minor increase from last year's average of €96.85, though it remains lower than the €100.47 peak seen during the 2023 auction.

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In terms of technology-specific pricing, wind farms achieved an average price of €96.56 per MWh. In contrast, solar energy projects came in at a slightly higher average of €100.63 per MWh. The successful bids highlight the continuing competitiveness of onshore renewables as a pillar of the national grid.

While the auction secured over 1 GW of renewable capacity, industry representatives have noted that the volume of successful projects was lower than in previous rounds, emphasizing the need for continued support to move more developments through the planning and grid connection phases.

Noel Cunniffe, CEO of Wind Energy Ireland, said: "Today's auction means more clean, affordable and secure power for Irish families and businesses. It will help to reduce our dependency on imported fossil fuels and to make Ireland more competitive.

"While we're delighted to see five of our projects win contracts we had hoped for a bigger auction and to see more projects get over the line.

"Our priority now is to focus on finding an alternative route to market for those unsuccessful projects while preparing for next year's auction by working with the Government to get more wind farms out of the planning system and with secure grid connections."