The House of Commons’ Energy Bill committee has formally reinstated DECC’s measures for the early closure of the Renewables Obligation for onshore wind.
The committee resolved to add New Clause 1 to the Energy Bill, which sets out the closure of the RO to new applications from 1 April.
Also added to the bill is New Clause 2, which reintroduces the grace period criteria as moved last October by DECC minister Lord Bourne of Aberystwyth.
The criteria extends RO eligibility from the proposed early closure date of the RO for onshore wind to 31 March 2016 to end-March 2017 for projects with a grid offer, planning consent and access to land rights in place by 18 June 2015.
A New Clause 3 is also added that prevents electricity suppliers in England, Wales or Scotland from using a RO certificate issued in Northern Ireland to discharge its renewables obligation where the certificate was issued for onshore wind generated in Northern Ireland after 31 March.
The RO clauses were removed from the Energy Bill last year after a Labour amendment withdrawing the government’s measures for early closure of the RO for onshore wind was passed by the House of Lords.
The Energy Bill will be head to report stage and third reading before returning to the Lords. DECC expects the bill to gain Royal Assent by the end of next month.
Image: UK Houses of Parliament and Big Ben (Wikimedia Commons)
