Eirgrid’s Celtic Interconnector Community Benefit Fund is now open for applications, with a closing date of September 15th. The €960,000 available in this phase represents 40 per cent of the overall €2.4 million fund.
The Celtic Interconnector is a planned 575km undersea high-voltage underwater power cable that will link the southern coast of Ireland and the northwest coast of France. It will be the first interconnector between Ireland and continental Europe and, when complete in 2026, will transport 700MW of electricity, enough to power more than 450,000 homes.
“The Celtic Interconnector Community Benefit Fund was established by EirGrid to recognise the importance of local communities working alongside us in making the Celtic Interconnector a reality and facilitating the development of the electricity grid,” says Eirgrid’s head of public engagement, Sinead Dooley.
The fund is open to community groups, not-for-profit organisations and social enterprises who can demonstrate the benefits to communities from the services, programmes or facilities they provide in the project area. Applicants should be based in or provide services to communities within a 2km buffer zone of the onshore cable route running from Youghal to the Knockraha substation.
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The fund is divided equally across the three streams of community, sustainability and biodiversity. Projects supported must be community-led, have the potential to leave a positive legacy within communities that host the Celtic Interconnector infrastructure, and align with the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals.
The concept of community benefit funds was introduced by then minister for communications, energy and natural resources Pat Rabbitte during the 2011 to 2016 government. It requires a percentage of construction budgets to be put aside for community benefit projects. “We are providing €2.4 million to this, our largest community benefit fund to date,” says Dooley.
We are encouraging community groups to get together and collaborate on projects. We want everyone to be included
— Sinead Dooley, head of public engagement, Eirgrid
“It is also our first fund under the new format which will see funds distributed in three phases – 40 per cent at the beginning of the project, 30 per cent at the midway point, and a further 30 per cent when it goes live and is connected to the grid,” she adds.
“We understand the incredible work being done by voluntary groups and organisations, and this is a chance for them to continue the important work they do to deliver on projects and initiatives which strengthen opportunities and address challenges across the three funding streams,” Dooley continues.
“We understand the incredible work being done by voluntary groups and organisations, and this is a chance for them to continue the important work they do to deliver on projects and initiatives which strengthen opportunities and address challenges across the three funding streams,” Dooley continues.
Grants available from the fund range from €500 up to a maximum of €125,000 per project in three bands aimed at small-, medium-, and large-scale initiatives.
At the smaller end, grants of between €500 and €10,000 are available to new and grassroots community groups and residents’ associations. Funding may be used to kick-start an initiative and assist the group in applying for alternative funds in the future. It may also be used to complete a pilot project to prove the viability of a project idea.
“We are encouraging community groups to get together and collaborate on projects,” says Dooley. “We want everyone to be included. A project may not need €10,000 to have an impact. A local residents’ association may only need €1,000 to purchase plants to improve their area, for example. A grant of €1,000 to a small project may have the same impact as €100,000 to a large one.”
Collaboration is encouraged for projects of all sizes, and priority will be given to large initiatives in the €50,000 to €125,000 range where community and voluntary groups work together to serve a wider area or a larger number of people.
Projects do not necessarily have to fit into one of the three funding streams. “There is flexibility there,” says Dooley. “For example, A group may have a biodiversity project, but it will also have community impact. Organisations may have projects that cross over all three areas. Applicants who are unsure of any aspect of the process should contact the Secad Partnership, who are administering the fund on Eirgrid’s behalf. We have also held an information evening on the project and will host a number of information clinics in the coming weeks.”
She advises anyone considering applying for funding to attend the clinics or get in touch with Secad or EirGrid directly. “We set the closing date at September 15th to give people as much time as possible to get their applications in. We know we are dealing with volunteers who don’t have a lot of expertise at completing funding forms. We are trying to support as much as possible to help them put their best foot forward in their applications.”