Question

To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, how much has been paid in constraint payments to wind reproducers in each of the last three years.

Constraint payments relating to England, Scotland and Wales are made by National Grid through competitive market arrangements in order to help ensure the secure operation of the electricity system. National Grid has advised that details of most individual constraint payments to wind farms are published at www.elexon.co.uk and www.bmreports.com, and aggregated data on payments to wind farms is published in its Monthly Balancing Services Summary, which is available at:

www2.nationalgrid.com/UK/Industry-information/Electricity-transmission-operational-data/Report-explorer/Services-Reports/.

Energy policy in Northern Ireland is devolved to the Northern Ireland Executive. The Department of Enterprise, Trade and Investment Northern Ireland has advised that constraint payments are a commercial matter between the Single Electricity Market Operator (SEMO) and the generator.