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Publication duties
A RESS project's fund site carries the annual grant round and the annual report. The May 2025 Rulebook says the generator should publicise that report on its own corporate website. SEAI also publishes it on the public Register. From RESS 4, funds run 15 years, so the site does too.
A reference note from Dan Malone, who builds software products.
The rule
“As well as being published by the SEAI on the Register, the Generator should publicise the annual report on its own corporate website and that of the RESS Project itself, if there is one.”
The facts
| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| Minimum contribution | Each RESS-supported project pays at least EUR 2 per MWh into its Community Benefit Fund. Source |
| Binding rulebook | The Rulebook was last updated 26 May 2025. It replaced the 2021 Good Practice Principles Handbook for all RESS funds. Source |
| Who must act | The generator holds ultimate responsibility for set-up, advertisement, administration, reporting and compliance. It may delegate to an administrator but stays responsible. Source |
| Registration deadline | The generator must establish the fund and register it with the SEAI CBF National Register. Registration must happen before the final Milestone Date for Milestone 6. Source |
| Annual report contents | The annual report must detail contributions, a breakdown of outgoings, successful and unsuccessful applicants, disbursements, and any funds carried forward. Source |
| Where it is published | SEAI publishes annual reports on the public CBF National Register. The generator should also publicise the report on its corporate website. Source |
| Grant round frequency | Funds must run an annual public application process. Funds below the EUR 50,000 threshold may instead open every two to five years. Funds above that threshold need a ministerial derogation to do the same. Source |
| Household payments | Wind projects pay EUR 1,000 a year to each eligible household within 1 km of a turbine. The first payment is due by the end of the first year of commercial operation. Source |
| 1 km to 2 km band | Households between 1 km and 2 km get a lower annual payment. The formula is 1500 minus (0.5 times distance in metres), rounded to the nearest euro. Source |
| Spending limits | At least 40% goes to UN SDG initiatives through open application. Household payments cap at 50%. Administration caps at 10% over fund life, 20% in year one. Source |
| Fund life | From RESS 4, projects must maintain the fund for 15 years, even if the project leaves the scheme. Source |
| Failure to comply | SEAI runs compliance checks and notifies the Minister when a plan of action fails. The Minister may withdraw the project's RESS Letter of Offer. Source |
The artefact
What goes wrong
/01
The annual report goes to SEAI but never appears on the generator's own website, so section 5.1(6) is missed
/02
The application round opens with no closing date on the page, and local groups miss the window
/03
The site names winners but hides unsuccessful applicants, outgoings and carry-forward, so the published report is incomplete
/04
Contact details on the site differ from the name, email and phone registered on the SEAI Register
/05
Application forms are PDF-only downloads that fail on a phone and for screen-reader users
/06
The page still cites the 2021 Good Practice Principles Handbook, which the May 2025 Rulebook superseded
/07
Near-neighbour pages publish household identities, against the rule that keeps individual beneficiaries private
/08
The site is built for launch year only, then goes stale while the fund runs for 15 years
/09
Award records live in a spreadsheet or inbox, so the next annual report gets rebuilt from scratch
Who supplies this
Irish local development company acting as independent administrator for wind and solar community benefit funds. It reports to generators and SEAI.
https://www.secad.ie/
Live example of a multi-fund application site in Ireland: eligibility, criteria, forms and round dates in one place.
https://windfarmcommunityfunds.ie/
Cork-based grant management platform for application rounds, scoring, award records and reporting exports.
https://submit.com/
Grant application and review platform. Useful where a fund needs public forms, committee scoring and an audit trail.
https://www.goodgrants.com/
Grants management software for larger funds that need committee workflow, payments tracking and structured annual reporting.
https://www.smartsimple.com/
Foundation that designs and administers third-party grant programmes, including public application rounds and impact reporting.
https://www.communityfoundation.ie/grants
Send the duty, the deadline and where it has to sit. What comes back is a written scope for the page, or a straight answer that you do not need one.
Send the briefLast checked 2026-09-01 · Published 2026-09-01
This page is reference material, not legal advice. Your advisor owns what applies to you.