NESOOFGEMDESNZ
feed

Renewables Obligation (RO) Annual Report 2022-23 - (Scheme Year 21)

OFGEM·report·low·28 Mar 2024·source document

Summary

The RO scheme issued 108.3 million certificates in 2022-23, supporting 80.3 TWh of renewable generation equivalent to 31.8% of UK electricity supply. Suppliers presented 107.7 million ROCs (88.4% of obligation) and paid £748.6 million in buy-out funds to cover the shortfall. The scheme transferred approximately £6.4 billion from electricity bills to renewable generators through certificate values of £59.76 each.

Why it matters

This is redistributive policy — a transfer from electricity consumers to renewable generators through certificate obligations. The scheme operates alongside newer support mechanisms (CfD) and adds complexity without directly addressing supply constraints or grid bottlenecks that drive energy costs.

Key facts

  • 108.3 million ROCs issued in SY21 (April 2022 - March 2023)
  • 80.3 TWh renewable generation supported (31.8% of UK electricity supply)
  • Total scheme value approximately £6.4 billion
  • ROC value £59.76 each
  • 88.4% compliance rate by suppliers
  • £748.6 million paid into buy-out funds
  • 200 generator audits conducted
  • £13.5 million value of error detection and prevention

Areas affected

renewablessupplierswholesale market

Related programmes

CfD
Memo

Renewables Obligation (RO) Annual Report 2022-23 - (Scheme Year 21) | Ofgem Please enable JavaScript in your web browser to get the best experience. BETA This site is currently in BETA. Help us improve by giving us your feedback . Close alert: Renewables Obligation (RO) Annual Report 2022-23 - (Scheme Year 21) Publication type: Forms, tables and lists Publication date: 28 March 2024 Scheme name: RO Print this page Related links Biomass Sustainability Dataset 2022 to 2023 (Scheme Year 21) Share the page Share on Facebook Share on Twitter Share on LinkedIn The Renewables Obligation (RO) is a government scheme designed to support large-scale renewable electricity generation in Great Britain (GB), and both large-scale and smaller scale renewable electricity generation in Northern Ireland (NI). By helping to support the generation of electricity in the UK from renewable sources, the scheme is an important contributor on the country’s journey to Net Zero. This RO Annual Report presents a summary of activity on the scheme during Scheme Year 21 (SY21: 1 April 2022 to 31 March 2023). Highlights: Renewables Obligation Certificates (ROCs) issued and renewable generation We issued 108.3 million ROCs in SY21. This represents a small increase compared to the 105.1 million ROCs issued in SY20. ROCs were issued based on 80.3 TWh of renewable generation. This was equivalent to 31.8% of the UK electricity supply market. Renewable generation when including output on the Feed-in Tariffs (FIT) and Contracts for Difference (CfD) schemes rises to 108.2 TWh, equivalent to 42.8% of UK supply. Compliance by licensed electricity suppliers The total obligation for SY21 was 121.8 million ROCs. To meet their obligations 107.7 million ROCs were presented by suppliers in SY21 (this was 88.4% of the total obligation). To make up for the shortfall in ROCs a further £748.6 million was paid by suppliers into the buy-out and late payment funds. Each ROC was notionally worth £59.76, which when multiplied by the 107.7 million ROCs presented results in a scheme value of approximately £6.4 billion. One supplier, UK Energy Incubator Hub, with two obligations equating to 1,882 ROCs, did not present ROCs or make payments sufficient to meet their obligations. This supplier ceased trading during SY21 and we are pursuing the outstanding balances through their administrators. Non-compliance by UK Energy Incubator Hub resulted in a shortfall of £99,520.16 (excluding interest) in the buy-out and late payment funds. This shortfall is well below the mutualisation threshold for both RO and ROS, meaning mutualisation was not triggered for the first time since Scheme Year 16 (2017-18). Generator compliance As part of our work to ensure compliance with the scheme regulations, we conducted 200 audits on generating stations in the UK. Following a compliance investigation, we withdrew the accreditation of one station as it was unable to provide sufficient evidence showing when initial generation occurred. The total value of our work detecting and preventing error on the RO scheme during SY21 was around £13.5 million. Please note: For those who wish to look at the data used in the report in more detail, a spreadsheet with this information is published alongside the report below. Main document Renewables Obligation Annual Report SY21 [PDF, 4.15MB] Subsidiary documents Renewables Obligation Annual Report SY21 - Dataset [XLSX, 1.08MB] Print this page Related links Biomass Sustainability Dataset 2022 to 2023 (Scheme Year 21) Share the page Share on Facebook Share on Twitter Share on LinkedIn Close