Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:

To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what plans he has to protect investments made by biomethane-to-grid develop who met the criteria to be eligible for a tariff guarantee based on the December 2016 consultation response in the renewable heat incentive.

The Government remains fully committed to these reforms.

Biomethane applicants will be eligible for tariff guarantees when they are introduced to the Renewable Heat Incentive (RHI) scheme. In addition, for biomethane applicants, the RHI reforms announced in December 2016, introduced tariff uplifts, feed stock restrictions and removal of digestate drying.

Applicants entering the scheme between 14 December 2016 and the date on which the regulations come into force, will be able access the higher tariff from the date of coming into force, provided that they also accept the feedstock restrictions and restriction on digestate drying from this same date. Applicants can apply now and access the higher tariffs set out in the government response as soon as the regulations come into force.