Tag: Dan Byles

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Dan Byles on 2014-06-24.

To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, with reference to the Answer of 14 May 2014, Official Report, column 595W, on electricity, what assessment he has made of whether the ability of auctions to drive value for money is dependent on market plurality and competition; and if he will make it a formal objective of his Department to ensure that independent generators are able to compete in Contracts for Difference auctions on an equal footing.

Michael Fallon

The secondary legislation for the Electricity Market Reform programme contains provisions to move straight to allocation rounds, with competitive auctions setting the price where the demand for CfDs exceeds the available budget.

DECC analysis shows that the pipeline of projects is strong and can deliver a competitive outcome, whilst the Administrative Strike Price sets a cap to protect consumers.

More generally, the auction has been designed to encourage participation, and we are introducing the Offtaker of Last Resort (OLR) to support independent renewable generators by providing them with a guaranteed route to market and improving their ability to raise project finance.

DECC officials have worked closely with developers and other stakeholders on these proposals, and the approach to implementing the OLR is currently being consulted on.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Dan Byles on 2014-06-24.

To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, with reference to the Answer of 14 May 2014, Official Report, column 593W, on electricity, what recent discussions he has had with the Independent Renewables Generators Group on the timing of the introduction of auctioning; what assessment he has made of independent generators’ ability to raise project finance against the Offtaker of Last Resort before October 2014; and if he will make a statement.

Michael Fallon

I met with the Independent Renewable Generators Group on 24th February 2014 and discussed the introduction of auctioning for Contracts for Difference (CfDs).

The Offtaker of Last Resort will support independent renewable generators by providing for the worst-case route-to-market, allowing generators to raise project finance without necessarily having to enter long-term PPAs. As a result, such generators are likely only to need short-term PPAs in order to maximise their secured revenue and level of gearing. We are on track to deliver the final policy and introduce enabling regulations ahead of first allocation of CfDs. CfD applicants will, therefore, have a high degree of clarity about the arrangements for OLR in advance of the first auctions.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Dan Byles on 2014-06-24.

To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, what estimate he has made of the total amount of available coal-fired electricity generation capacity in the UK in each year up to 2030.

Michael Fallon

The Electricity Market Reform (EMR) Delivery Plan published in December 2013 included an estimate for the total amount of available coal-fired electricity generation capacity in Great Britain in each year to 2030. It is available at:

https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/268221/181213_2013_EMR_Delivery_Plan_FINAL.pdf

See table:

Year	Total coal-fired capacity (GW)
2014	20
2015	18
2016	18
2017	18
2018	18
2019	15
2020	12
2021	12
2022	12
2023	9
2024	9
2025	8
2026	8
2027	7
2028	7
2029	5
2030	2

* Based on a scenario of average carbon intensity of electricity generation of 100g CO₂/kWh in 2030

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The below Parliamentary question was asked by Dan Byles on 2015-02-09.

To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, what progress he has made on addressing manufacturers selling wind turbines which have been de-rated to allow them to benefit from higher tariffs within the feed-in tariff; and if he will make a statement.

Amber Rudd

We are closely monitoring the impact of de-rating wind developers are found to be unfairly exploiting the FiTs scheme we will act to stop it.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Dan Byles on 2015-02-09.

To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, how many wind turbines have been deployed in each county within the 100-500kW feed-in tariff to date.

Amber Rudd

Information on regional breakdown of FIT deployment is published quarterly, including a break down by technology and Local Authority area here:

https://www.gov.uk/government/statistical-data-sets/sub-regional-feed-in-tariffs-confirmed-on-the-cfr-statistics.

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The below Parliamentary question was asked by Dan Byles on 2015-02-09.

To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, how many medium wind turbines deemed excessively de-rated have been granted pre-accreditation or have been commissioned in (a) 1 April 2010 to 30 November 2012 at £22.16 per kWh, (b) 1 December 2012 to 31 March 2014 at £18.83 per kWh, (c) 1 April 2014 to 30 September 2014 at £15.06 per kWh, (d) 1 October 2014 to 31 March 2015 at £13.55 per kWh and (e) 1 April 2015 to 31 March 2016 at £12.05 per kWh.

Amber Rudd

We are closely monitoring the extent of de-rating and its impact.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Dan Byles on 2015-02-09.

To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, when his Department first became aware of wind turbines being excessively de-rated in order for generators to benefit from higher than intended feed-in tariffs; and if he will make a statement.

Amber Rudd

We are actively monitoring the extent of de-rating and will consider whether action is necessary to prevent wind developers from unfairly exploiting the FITs scheme.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Dan Byles on 2014-05-08.

To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, pursuant to the Answer of 3 April 2014, Official Report, column 805W, on renewable energy, what the standard period is for stakeholders to be given to respond to a Government consultation.

Michael Fallon

The amount of time required for stakeholders to respond to a Government consultation will depend on the nature and impact of the proposal and might typically vary between 2 and 12 weeks.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Dan Byles on 2014-05-08.

To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, if he will recconsider the proposal to introduce Contract for Difference auctioning three years earlier than planned.

Michael Fallon

We have always been clear that auctions can be used to drive value for money, once the market is sufficiently developed. As set out in the Consultation on Competitive Allocation, published by the Department on 16 January 2014, we consider that market conditions are such that for some, more established, technologies this will be the case from the start of the allocation of Contracts for Difference (CfDs) under the enduring arrangements.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Dan Byles on 2014-05-08.

To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, what assessment he has made of (a) the readiness of markets for a Contract for Difference (CfD) competitive bidding process and (b) the effect on independent generators of early introduction of CfD auctioning.

Michael Fallon

The Department launched a consultation on our approach to competitive allocation of Contracts for Difference (CfDs) in January 2014. This included proposals to move to auctioning of CfDs from the first allocation this autumn. We carefully considered the responses to the consultation before confirming our policy position in the Government Response published on 13 May 2014. Competitive allocation will deliver renewable energy at a lower cost for consumers.

In developing our proposals for the move to competitive allocation, my officials have also worked closely with developers and other stakeholders, including representatives of independent renewable energy generators.

In particular, we are introducing the Offtaker of Last Resort (OLR) to support independent renewable generators by guaranteeing a route-to-market and therefore improving their ability to raise project finance. The policy design is already at an advanced stage, and the detail of the proposals has been recently consulted on. We are on track to deliver the final policy and introduce enabling regulations ahead of the first allocation of CfDs. CfD applicants will, therefore, have a high degree of clarity about the arrangements for OLR well in advance of the first auctions.