The UK government has confirmed this year’s Allocation Round 7 Contracts for Difference auction will now follow a single timetable for offshore wind.
Energy department DESNZ said it has made the move in response to appeals from non-qualifying applicants for both fixed-bottom and floating wind projects, which mean the auction is unable to follow the shortest possible timeline.
The sealed bidding window will now take place during 11-17 November ahead of results being published on 14 January, according to the updated official timetable.
If there is a so-called Tier 2 non-qualifying review, then those applicants will still be allowed to submit bids to avoid the bidding window being pushed back to a later date while their eligibility is reviewed.
Continued participation in AR7 will then be confirmed by Ofgem by 28 November before the allocation process begins.
“We believe providing clarity of a single timetable is more effective than providing different scenarios for different appeals stages,” added DESNZ.