Asked by: Jamie Stone (Liberal Democrat - Caithness, Sutherland and Easter Ross)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of extending the Renewables Obligation support to floating offshore wind projects after October 2018.
Answered by Claire Perry
The Renewables Obligation (RO) scheme closed to most new projects on 31 March 2017. Floating and demonstration offshore wind projects in Scotland have a grace period until 30 September 2018 to accredit under the scheme. Developers have known about this grace period since it was announced by the Scottish Government in 2013. The expiry dates are set out in legislation and we do not intend to extend them.
The RO is being replaced by the competitive 'Contracts for Difference' (CFD) support scheme. Innovative offshore wind projects are eligible to compete in the next CFD auction, planned for spring 2019. The scheme incentivises developers and the supply chain to innovate and continuously bear down on costs. This will allow the UK to produce more renewable energy at a significantly lower cost for consumers.