The Renewables Obligation Order 2015

PART 5 RO eligible renewable output

Meaning of RO input electricity

26.—(1) This article applies for the purposes of this Part.

(2) In any month where the total installed capacity of a generating station does not include any excluded capacity, “RO input electricity”, in relation to that station, means the total input electricity of the station during that month.

(3) Subject to paragraphs (4) and (5), in any month where the total installed capacity of a generating station includes excluded capacity, the “RO input electricity” of the station is equal to where—

(a) A is the total input electricity of the station during that month,

(b) B is the total installed capacity of the excluded capacity, and

(c) C is the total installed capacity of the station.

(4) Subject to paragraph (5), in any month where the total installed capacity of a generating station includes excluded capacity and electricity which is used by the station solely for purposes directly related to the operation of the excluded capacity is measured separately from the remainder of the electricity used by the station, the “RO input electricity” of the station is equal to where—

(a) A is the total input electricity of the station during that month, and

(b) D is the total amount of electricity measured as being used by the station solely for purposes directly related to the operation of the excluded capacity during that month.

(5) In any month where—

(a) the total installed capacity of a generating station includes excluded capacity,

(b) all of the electricity which is used by the station for purposes directly related to the operation of the RO capacity is measured separately from the remainder of the electricity used by the station, and

(c) the station does not generate electricity wholly or partly from hydrogen (other than hydrogen that constitutes fossil fuel),

in relation to that station, “RO input electricity” means the total amount of electricity measured as being used by the station for purposes directly related to the operation of the RO capacity during that month.

(6) In this article, references to electricity used by a generating station for purposes directly related to the operation of excluded capacity or RO capacity include electricity used for those purposes whether or not the electricity was generated by the station or used while the station was generating electricity.

(7) In this article, “operation” includes fuel handling, fuel preparation, maintenance and the pumping of water.

Meaning of RO output electricity

27.—(1) This article applies for the purposes of this Part.

(2) In any month where the total installed capacity of a generating station does not include any excluded capacity, “RO output electricity”, in relation to that station, means the total output electricity of the station during that month.

(3) Subject to paragraph (4), in any month where the total installed capacity of a generating station includes excluded capacity and all of the electricity generated by the excluded capacity is measured separately from any electricity generated by the station using RO capacity, the “RO output electricity” of the station is equal to where—

(a) E is the total output electricity of the station during that month, and

(b) F is the total amount of electricity measured as being generated by the excluded capacity during that month.

(4) In any month where the total installed capacity of a generating station includes excluded capacity and all of the electricity generated by the station using RO capacity is measured separately from any electricity generated by the station using excluded capacity, “RO output electricity”, in relation to that station, means the total amount of electricity measured as being generated by the RO capacity during that month.

ROCs to be issued by the Authority in respect of a generating station’s RO eligible renewable output

28.—(1) Subject to paragraphs (3) and (5) and article 94, ROCs—

(a) are to be issued in respect of a generating station’s RO eligible renewable output in a month, and

(b) must not be issued before the end of the second month following that month.

(2) Where—

(a) electricity was generated—

(i) by a generating station with a total installed capacity of at least 1 megawatt, and

(ii) using biomass (other than animal excreta, bioliquid, landfill gas, sewage gas or waste), and

(b) the greenhouse gas emissions from the use of that biomass are above the relevant target,

ROCs in respect of that electricity must not be issued before the end of the second month following the obligation period in which the electricity was generated.

(3) For the purposes of paragraph (3), the greenhouse gas emissions from the use of biomass must be calculated in accordance with paragraphs 3 to 5 of Schedule 2.

(4) When issuing ROCs in respect of electricity generated in a month by a generating station or, in the case of ROCs certifying the matters within section 32B(5), (6) or (8) of the Act, two or more generating stations, the Authority must—

(a) determine the RO eligible renewable output of that generating station or, as the case may be, those generating stations in that month in accordance with article 29 or 30 (whichever is applicable); and

(b) issue ROCs in respect of that station’s or those stations’ RO eligible renewable output, the amount of electricity to be stated in each ROC being determined in accordance with articles 31 to 41.

(5) Where the number of megawatt hours of RO eligible renewable output in respect of which ROCs are to be issued does not equate to a whole number of ROCs, the number of megawatt hours is to be rounded to the nearest figure which does so equate (and where there are two such figures, the number of megawatt hours is to be rounded upwards).

(6) In this article, “relevant target” has the same meaning as in Part 1 of Schedule 2.

Calculating a generating station’s RO eligible renewable output

29.—(1) Subject to article 30, the RO eligible renewable output of a generating station in any month is equal to .

(2) In paragraph (1)—

(a) A is the RO output electricity of the station during the month in question, less—

(i) any electricity generated by the station during that month from fossil fuel, and

(ii) any ineligible electricity generated by the station during that month; and

(b) B is—

(i) where the RO input electricity used by the station during the month in question does not exceed 0.5% of the RO output electricity of the station during that month, zero; and

(ii) in any other case, the RO input electricity used by the station during that month.

(3) For the purposes of paragraph (2), where a generating station generates electricity from fossil fuel in any month, the amount of electricity so generated is equal to .

(4) In paragraph (3)—

(a) “B” has the same meaning as in paragraph (2);

(b) C is the RO output electricity of the station during the month in question;

(c) D is the energy content of all of the fossil fuel used in generating the RO output electricity of the station during that month;

(d) E is the energy content of any fossil fuel used by the station to generate ineligible electricity during that month; and

(e) F is the energy content of all of the fuels used in generating that station’s RO output electricity during that month.

(5) In this article, “ineligible electricity” means electricity which is generated using the RO capacity of a generating station and which is—

(a) electricity in respect of which ROCs are not to be issued by virtue of Part 7, or

(b) electricity in respect of which the Authority has decided to refuse to issue a ROC in accordance with article 24(1) or 25(3).

Calculating the RO eligible renewable output of a qualifying CHP station

30.—(1) This article applies to a qualifying CHP station in any month during which it generates electricity from waste (other than waste which constitutes biomass or is used by the station for permitted ancillary purposes or is an advanced fuel or is in the form of a liquid or gaseous fuel produced by means of anaerobic digestion).

(2) The RO eligible renewable output of a generating station to which this article applies in any month is equal to .

(3) In this article—

(a) “A” and “B” have the same meanings as in article 29;

(b) G is the qualifying power output of the station; and

(c) H is the total power output of the station.