Contracts for Difference (CfD) are the main market support mechanism for low carbon generation in the UK. The scheme replaced the Renewables Obligation which closed to new generation in March 2017. It is administered by the Low Carbon Contracts Company (LCCC), which is owned by the UK Government.
The scheme offers a fixed "Strike Price" to generators over a 15-year contract, which provides financial certainty, unlike the wholesale electricity market which can fluctuate significantly. With the contract for difference, if the market price for electricity drops below the Strike Price, LCCC pays the generator the shortfall, however if the market price rises, the generator must pay back the difference. The costs of the scheme are passed onto consumers via their electricity bills.[1]
The contracts are awarded using a reverse auction in annual "Allocation Rounds" (AR) where companies submit sealed bids for a project capacity and cost. Contracts are awarded to the lowest cost projects first, until a predefined budget or capacity cap is reached. The budget is split into different 'Pots' which different technologies can bid into,[2] although these have varied by auction.
Bids cannot be above a maximum "Administrative Strike Price" set before the auction.[3] To make comparison between years easier, all Strike Prices are quoted in 2012 prices, but projects are paid an inflation-adjusted amount linked to the Consumer Price Index (CPI). The projects also set out a delivery year, when the projects is expected to be commissioned, however this may slip for various reasons.[1]
History
editIn December 2010, the Government introduced plans to reform the electricity market.[4] The Electricity Market Reform (EMR) introduced both a capacity market to incentivise reliable generation and Contracts for Difference to provide revenue certainty to developers investing in low carbon and renewable energy, but at a lower cost that the Renewables Obligation.[5]
Prior to the first Allocation Round, there was a mechanism called Final Investment Decision Enabling for Renewables.[6] This awarded CfDs to five offshore wind projects, two biomass conversion projects, and one dedicated biomass with combined heat and power, with a total capacity of almost 4.5 GW.[6][7]
Separately, the Government also awarded a CfD to Hinkley Point C nuclear power station, set at £92.50/MWh for a 35 year period.[8] This is 20 years longer than other CfD contracts. See §Cost to consumers of the Hinkley Point C article for further discussion on the costs.
Results of the first two auctions were announced in February 2015 and September 2017. Since AR3 in 2019, subsequent auctions have been on an annual basis, .
Allocation Rounds
editAR1
editThe first Allocation Round auction started in October 2014, with results announced on 19 February 2015.[9] The maximum prices are given in the first table below. A total of 2.1 GW of contracts were awarded, primarily for two offshore wind projects, the 714 MW East Anglia 1 and the 448 MW Neart Na Gaoithe, plus 15 smaller onshore wind projects.[10]
| Pot/Technology | 2014/15 | 2015/16 | 2016/17 | 2017/18 | 2018/19 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pot 1 (established) | |||||
| Onshore Wind (>5 MW) | 95 | 95 | 95 | 90 | 90 |
| Solar photovoltaic (>5 MW) | 120 | 120 | 115 | 110 | 100 |
| Energy from Waste (with CHP) | 80 | 80 | 80 | 80 | 80 |
| Hydro (>5 MW and <50 MW) | 100 | 100 | 100 | 100 | 100 |
| Landfill gas | 55 | 55 | 55 | 55 | 55 |
| Sewage gas | 75 | 75 | 75 | 75 | 75 |
| Pot 2 (less established) | |||||
| Offshore wind | 155 | 155 | 1560 | 140 | 140 |
| Tidal stream | 305 | 305 | 305 | 305 | 305 |
| Wave | 305 | 305 | 305 | 305 | 305 |
| Advanced Conversion Technologies (with or without CHP) | 155 | 155 | 150 | 140 | 140 |
| Anaerobic digestion (with or without CHP) (>5 MW) | 150 | 150 | 150 | 140 | 140 |
| Dedicated biomass (with CHP) | 125 | 125 | 125 | 125 | 125 |
| Geothermal (with or without CHP) | 145 | 145 | 145 | 140 | 140 |
| Pot 3 | |||||
| Biomass conversion | 105 | 105 | 105 | 105 | 105 |
| Pot/Technology | Capacity (MW) | № of
projects |
Strike Price (£2012/MWh) | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2015/16 | 2016/17 | 2017/18 | 2018/19 | 2015/16 | 2016/17 | 2017/18 | 2018/19 | ||
| Pot 1 (established) | |||||||||
| Onshore Wind (>5 MW) | — | 45 | 77.5 | 626.05 | 15 | — | 79.23 | 79.99 | 82.50 |
| Solar photovoltaic (>5 MW) | 32.88 | 38.67 | — | — | 5 | 50.00 | 79.23 | — | — |
| Energy from Waste (with CHP) | — | — | — | 94.75 | 2 | — | — | — | 80.00 |
| Pot 2 (less established) | |||||||||
| Offshore wind | — | — | 714 | 448 | 2 | — | — | 119.89 | 114.39 |
| Advanced Conversion Technologies | — | — | 36 | 26 | 3 | — | — | 119.89 | 114.39 |
| Total | 32.88 | 83.67 | 827.50 | 1194.80 | 27 | — | — | — | — |
AR2
editThe second round ran from April to September 2017.[11] As announced in the 2016 budget, no funding was allocated in Pot 1 for the more established technologies of onshore wind, solar PV, hydro, energy from waste with CHP, landfill gas, and sewage gas. Instead, a Pot 2 budget of £290m for less established technologies, of which offshore wind was expected to form the majority.[12] Nearly 3.2 GW of contracts were awarded for three offshore wind farms: Triton Knoll (860 MW), Hornsea Project 2 (1386 MW), and Moray Offshore Windfarm (East) (950 MW). Several smaller projects for advanced conversion technologies and dedicated biomass with CHP were also funded.[13]
| Pot/Technology | ASP (£2012/MWh) | Capacity (MW) | № of
projects |
SP (£2012/MWh) | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2021/22 | 2022/23 | 2021/22 | 2022/23 | 2021/22 | 2022/23 | ||
| Pot 2 (less established) | |||||||
| Offshore wind | 105 | 100 | 860 | 2336 | 3 | 74.75 | 57.50 |
| ACT (standard or advanced; with or without CHP) | 125 | 115 | 56.31 | 8 | 6 | 74.75 | 40.00 |
| Anaerobic digestion (with or without CHP; >5MW) | 140 | 135 | — | — | — | — | — |
| Dedicated biomass (with CHP) | 115 | 115 | 85.64 | — | 2 | 74.75 | — |
| Wave | 310 | 300 | — | — | — | — | — |
| Tidal stream | 300 | 295 | — | — | — | — | — |
| Total | — | — | 1001.95 | 2344 | 11 | — | — |
AR3
editThe auction process for AR3 took place between May and September 2021. Of the £265m annual budget, £200m was for offshore wind, £24m for floating offshore wind, and £10m for onshore wind, with the remaining £31m for other less established technologies including (onshore) remote island wind.[15] AR3 delivered record low prices for offshore wind, with contracts to deliver in 2023/24 came in at £39.650/MWh and those delivering in 2024/25 at £41.611/MWh.[16]
| Pot/Technology | ASP (£2012/MWh) | Capacity (MW) | № of
projects |
SP (£2012/MWh) | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2023/24 | 2024/25 | 2023/24 | 2024/25 | 2023/24 | 2024/25 | ||
| Pot 2 (less established) | |||||||
| Advanced Conversion Technologies | 113 | 111 | 27.5 | 6.1 | 2 | 39.65 | 41.611 |
| Anaerobic digestion (>5 MW) | 122 | 121 | — | — | — | — | — |
| Dedicated biomass with CHP | 121 | 121 | — | — | — | — | — |
| Geothermal | 129 | 127 | — | — | — | — | — |
| Offshore wind | 56 | 53 | 1212 | 2854 | 6 | 39.65 | 41.611 |
| Remote island wind (>5 MW) | 82 | 82 | 225.72 | 49.5 | 4 | 39.65 | 41.611 |
| Tidal stream | 225 | 217 | — | — | — | — | — |
| Wave | 281 | 268 | — | — | — | — | — |
| Total | — | — | 2865.22 | 2909.6 | 12 | — | — |
AR4
editThe auction for AR4 took place between December 2021 and July 2022, and re-introduced Pot 1 for established technologies. Of the total £285m budget, a £20m ringfence was set aside for tidal stream projects in Pot 2,[19] and for the first time four contracts totalling just over 40 MW were awarded CfDs, MeyGen, Magallanes Renovables, and two for Orbital Marine Power.[20] The first contract for a floating offshore wind turbine was also awarded, to Hexicon AB for their 32 MW TwinHub project.[21]
| Pot/Technology | ASP (£2012/MWh) | Capacity (MW) | № of
projects |
SP (£2012/MWh) | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| All delivery years | 2023/24 | 2024/25 | 2025/26 | 2026/27 | 2023/24 | 2024/25 | 2025/26 | 2026/27 | ||
| Pot 1 (established) | ||||||||||
| Solar PV (>5 MW) | 47 | 251.38 | 1958.03 | — | — | 66 | 45.99 | 45.99 | — | — |
| Onshore Wind (>5 MW) | 53 | — | 887.96 | — | — | 10 | — | 42.47 | — | — |
| Energy from waste (with CHP) | 121 | — | 30 | — | — | 1 | — | 45.99 | — | — |
| Pot 2 (less established) | ||||||||||
| Tidal stream | 211 | — | — | 5.62 | 35.2 | 4 | — | — | 178.54 | 178.54 |
| Floating offshore wind | 122 | — | — | — | 32 | 1 | — | — | — | 87.30 |
| Remote Island Wind (RIW) | 62 | — | — | — | 597.6 | 6 | — | — | — | 46.39 |
| Offshore Wind | 46 | — | — | — | 6994.34 | 5 | — | — | — | 37.35 |
| Total | — | 251.38 | 2875.99 | 5.62 | 7659.14 | 93 | — | — | — | — |
AR5
editThe auction for AR5 took place between March and September 2023. The available budget was £170 million for Pot 1 (established technologies) and £35 million for Pot 2 (emerging technologies) including a minimum £10m ringfence for tidal stream.[23] Despite warnings from industry before the auction, there were no bids from offshore wind projects as the Administrative Strike Price was seen to be to low to cover the increases in supply chain and cost of capital.[24]
| Pot/Technology | ASP (£2012/MWh) | Capacity (MW) | № of
projects |
SP (£2012/MWh) | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| All delivery years | 2025/26 | 2026/27 | 2027/28 | All delivery years | ||
| Pot 1 (established) | ||||||
| Energy from waste (with CHP) | 116 | — | — | — | — | — |
| Hydro (>5MW and <50MW) | 89 | — | — | — | — | — |
| Landfill gas | 62 | — | — | — | — | — |
| Offshore wind | 44 | — | — | — | — | — |
| Onshore wind (>5 MW) | 53 | 31.1 | 204.4 | 1245.24 | 24 | 52.29 |
| Remote island wind (>5 MW)) | 53 | — | — | 223.6 | 1 | 52.29 |
| Sewage gas | 148 | — | — | — | — | — |
| Solar PV (>5 MW) | 47 | 393.96 | 150.74 | 1382.98 | 56 | 47.00 |
| Pot 2 (less established) | ||||||
| Advanced Conversion Technologies | 182 | — | — | — | — | — |
| Anaerobic digestion (>5 MW) | 136 | — | — | — | — | — |
| Dedicated biomass with CHP | 162 | — | — | — | — | — |
| Floating offshore wind | 116 | — | — | — | — | — |
| Geothermal | 119 | — | 7 | 5 | 3 | 119.00 |
| Tidal stream | 202 | — | 4.5 | 48.54 | 11 | 198.00 |
| Wave | 245 | — | — | — | — | — |
| Total | — | 425.06 | 366.64 | 2905.36 | 95 | — |
AR6
editThe budget for AR6 was set at just over £1bn, split into three pots:[27][28] Following the election, at the end of July, the budget for AR6 was increased by 50% to £1.555bn.[29][30]
- Pot 1 for established technologies, initially £120m, increased to £185m,
- Pot 2 for emerging technologies, initially £105m, increased to £270m (again including a ringfence for tidal stream, of £10m then £15m)
- Pot 3 for offshore wind, initially £800m, increased to £1.1bn.
The Administrative Strike Prices were significantly increased from AR5. The Contracts for Difference Allocation 6 results were announced on 3 September 2024, with 131 projects being awarded contracts.[31][32]
| Pot/Technology | ASP (£2012/MWh) | Capacity (MW) | № of
projects |
SP (£2012/MWh) | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| All delivery years | 2026/27 | 2027/28 | 2018/29 | All delivery years | ||
| Pot 1 (established) | ||||||
| Energy from waste (with CHP) | 181 | — | — | — | — | — |
| Hydro (>5MW and <50MW) | 102 | — | — | — | — | — |
| Landfill gas | 69 | — | — | — | — | — |
| Onshore wind (>5 MW) | 64 | 272.58 | 717.79 | — | 22 | 50.90 |
| Remote island wind (>5 MW)) | 64 | — | — | — | — | — |
| Sewage gas | 162 | — | — | — | — | — |
| Solar PV (>5 MW) | 61 | 1091.54 | 2196.77 | — | 93 | 50.07 |
| Pot 2 (less established) | ||||||
| Advanced Conversion Technologies | 210 | — | — | — | — | — |
| Anaerobic digestion (>5 MW) | 144 | — | — | — | — | — |
| Dedicated biomass with CHP | 179 | — | — | — | — | — |
| Floating offshore wind | 176 | — | — | 400 | 1 | 139.93 |
| Geothermal | 157 | — | — | — | — | — |
| Tidal stream | 261 | — | 10 | 18 | 6 | 172.00 |
| Wave | 257 | — | — | — | — | — |
| Pot 3' | ||||||
| Offshore wind | 73 | — | — | 3363.07 | 2 | 58.87 |
| Offshore wind permitted reduction* | n/a | — | 1578.51 | — | 7 | 54.23 |
| Total | — | 1364.12 | 4503.07 | 3781.07 | 131 | — |
* offshore wind permitted reduction refers to projects that had a previously secured CfD, but have now been awarded a CfD at a higher price. The original contract allowed for up to 25% of the capacity to be withdrawn.[32]
Generating capacity awarded
edit| Round | Nuclear | Solar PV | Onshore wind | Remote island wind | Offshore wind | Floating offshore wind | Tidal Stream | Biomass conversion | Dedicated biomass with CHP | Energy from waste with CHP | Advanced Conversion Technology | Geothermal | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pre-AR1 | 3277 | — | — | n/a | 3101 | — | — | 1052 | 299 | — | — | — | 7729 |
| AR1 | n/a | 72 | 749 | n/a | 1162 | — | — | n/a | — | 95 | 62 | — | 2140 |
| AR2 | n/a | n/a | n/a | n/a | 3196 | — | — | n/a | 86 | — | 64 | — | 3346 |
| AR3 | n/a | — | — | 275 | 5466 | — | — | n/a | — | — | 34 | — | 5775 |
| AR4 | n/a | 2209 | 888 | 598 | 6994 | 32 | 41 | n/a | — | 30 | — | — | 10792 |
| AR5 | n/a | 1928 | 1481 | 224 | — | — | 53 | n/a | — | — | — | 12 | 3698 |
| AR6 | n/a | 3288 | 990 | — | 3363 | 400 | 28 | — | — | — | — | — | 9648 |
| Total | 3277 | 7497 | 4108 | 1096 | 23282 | 432 | 122 | 1052 | 385 | 125 | 160 | 12 | 43127 |
See also
editReferences
edit- ^ a b c Watson, Nicole; Bolton, Paul (17 October 2023). Contracts for Difference Scheme (Report). House of Commons Library. Retrieved 5 May 2024.
- ^ Hinson, Suzanna; Bolton, Paul (8 April 2020). Support for low carbon power (Report). House of Commons Library. Retrieved 5 May 2024.
- ^ Contracts for Difference Explainer (PDF) (Report). ITPEnergised. September 2021. Retrieved 5 May 2024.
- ^ Barley, Shanta (16 December 2010). "Chris Huhne unveils plans for reform of UK energy market". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 4 May 2024.
- ^ a b c McNaught, Colin. "MAJOR CHANGES FOR THE RENEWABLE ELECTRICITY MARKET: A FOCUS ON UK CONTRACTS FOR DIFFERENCE (CFD)". The Renewable Energy Institute. Retrieved 6 May 2024.
- ^ a b "Final Investment Decision Enabling for Renewables: Updates 1, 2 and 3". GOV.UK. 24 April 2014. Retrieved 5 May 2024.
- ^ "FID Enabling for Renewables. Successful Projects offered an investment contract" (PDF). GOV.UK. 23 April 2014. Retrieved 5 May 2024.
- ^ "UK nuclear power plant gets go-ahead". BBC News. 20 October 2013. Retrieved 5 May 2024.
- ^ "Contracts for Difference (CfD): first allocation round". GOV.UK. 26 February 2015. Retrieved 5 May 2024.
- ^ "Contracts for Difference (CFD) Allocation Round One Outcome" (PDF). GOV.UK. 26 February 2015. Retrieved 5 May 2024.
- ^ "Contracts for Difference (CFD) Second Allocation Round Results". GOV.UK. 11 September 2017. Retrieved 5 May 2024.
- ^ Marsh, Rob; Berry, Mark. "Contract for Difference in Great Britain: The offshore wind round? | United Kingdom | Global law firm | Norton Rose Fulbright". www.nortonrosefulbright.com. Retrieved 5 May 2024.
- ^ a b "Contracts for Difference (CFD) Second Allocation Round Results". GOV.UK. Retrieved 5 May 2024.
- ^ "Contracts for Difference: An explanation of the methodology used to set administrative CFD strike prices for the next CFD allocation round". GOV.UK. Retrieved 5 May 2024.
- ^ "Remote island wind set to benefit from latest support scheme". Shetland News. 13 September 2021. Retrieved 6 May 2024.
- ^ KPMG (September 2019). "Blown away. CfD Round 3 delivers record low price for offshore wind" (PDF). Retrieved 5 May 2024.
- ^ "Methodology used to set administrative strike prices for CfD Allocation Round 3". GOV.UK. Retrieved 6 May 2024.
- ^ "Contracts for Difference (CfD) Allocation Round 3: results - published 20 September 2019, revised 11 October 2019". GOV.UK. Retrieved 7 May 2024.
- ^ Dykes, Andrew (24 November 2021). "UK Government announces £20m ring-fenced tidal funding in upcoming CfD". Energy Voice. Retrieved 6 May 2024.
- ^ Garanovic, Amir (7 July 2022). "UK's fourth contracts for difference round awards over 40MW of new tidal power capacity". Offshore Energy. Retrieved 7 May 2024.
- ^ "Hexicon's TwinHub Wins First First-ever Dedicated CfD for Floating Wind in UK". Offshore Engineer Magazine. 7 July 2022. Retrieved 7 May 2024.
- ^ "Contracts for Difference (CfD) Allocation Round 4: results (accessible webpage)". GOV.UK. Retrieved 6 May 2024.
- ^ "Contracts for Difference (CfD) Allocation Round 5: statutory notices". GOV.UK. 3 August 2023. Retrieved 7 May 2024.
- ^ Millman, Grace (8 September 2023). "AR5: Urgent government response needed to rebuild leadership in UK offshore wind - Regen". Retrieved 7 May 2024.
- ^ "Contracts for Difference (CfD) Allocation Round 5: core parameters". GOV.UK. Retrieved 7 May 2024.
- ^ "Contracts for Difference (CfD) Allocation Round 5: results (accessible webpage)". GOV.UK. Retrieved 7 May 2024.
- ^ "Energy UK explains: how much renewable energy can we expect from Allocation Round 6?". Energy UK. 6 March 2024. Retrieved 5 May 2024.
- ^ a b "Contracts for Difference (CfD): Budget Notice for the sixth Allocation Round, 2024" (PDF). GOV.UK. 6 March 2024. Retrieved 8 May 2024.
- ^ "Upcoming renewables auction boosted 50 per cent to £1.5bn". The Engineer. 31 July 2024. Retrieved 13 August 2024.
- ^ "AR6 Budget Revision Notice". Contracts for difference CfD. 31 July 2024. Retrieved 13 August 2024.
- ^ a b "Contracts for Difference (CfD) Allocation Round 6: results". GOV.UK. Retrieved 3 September 2024.
- ^ a b Tisheva, Plamena (3 September 2024). "UK awards 9.6 GW of CfDs in sixth renewables auction". Retrieved 3 September 2024.