Ireland’s Department of Climate, Energy and the Environment is set to initiate consultations for the sixth round of the Renewable Energy Support Scheme auction (RESS6) as early as next week. This development marks a significant shift in the country’s renewable energy landscape, as RESS6 will be the first auction to incorporate new non-price criteria mandated by the European Union’s Net-Zero Industry Act (NZIA) legislation.
Philip Newsome, principal officer for renewable electricity at the DCEE, announced the upcoming changes at the 2026 Wind Energy Ireland conference in Dublin. He emphasized that while price will remain the dominant factor in RESS6, new criteria will be introduced to evaluate projects. Resilience will account for 5% of the evaluation, and energy system integration will be weighted between 10 and 25%. Newsome framed these changes as an opportunity for evolution, stating, “It’s a big change from the world we’ve known for the last 5 years, but hopefully a change for good.”
The integration of these new criteria could reshape how developers approach renewable energy projects in Ireland. By prioritizing resilience and energy system integration, the auction may incentivize projects that offer greater stability and synergy with the broader energy grid. This could lead to more innovative and adaptable renewable energy solutions, potentially accelerating Ireland’s transition to a more sustainable energy system.
The wind industry in Ireland is optimistic that RESS6, expected to take place in autumn 2026, will be the largest auction for onshore wind yet. Noel Cunniffe, CEO of Wind Energy Ireland, highlighted that there is approximately 1.3GW of onshore wind projects ready to sign offtake agreements, either through RESS or the corporate power purchase agreement market. This suggests a robust pipeline of projects that could benefit from the new criteria, provided they align with the evolving priorities of the auction.
However, the fifth RESS auction served as a cautionary tale, with only 219MW of projects securing contracts—a result widely seen as disappointing across the sector. The upcoming changes in RESS6 may address some of the shortcomings of previous rounds, but their success will depend on how effectively they balance price competitiveness with the new non-price criteria.
As Ireland moves forward with these reforms, the renewable energy sector will be watching closely to see how the new criteria influence project development and auction outcomes. The integration of resilience and energy system integration could set a precedent for other European countries looking to refine their renewable energy support mechanisms in line with the NZIA. If successful, RESS6 could become a model for how to evolve renewable energy auctions to better meet the challenges of a net-zero future.