Preliminary Consultation on Reform of the Northern Ireland Renewables Obligation
The NIRO is DETI's main support mechanism for increasing the generation of electricity from renewable sources. It operates in tandem with similar Obligations in GB in a UK-wide market for the Renewables Obligation Certificates (ROCs) that are issued to generators for each megawatt-hour of eligible renewable electricity. This Preliminary Consultation follows the outcome of a UK-wide consultation last year on proposals for the 'banding' of the Obligations to allow more than 1 ROC to be issued for emerging or more costly renewable technologies such as tidal power. It seeks the views on the applicability of the specific banding proposals to Northern Ireland and will be followed later this year by a Statutory Consultation on the detailed implementation of the banded NIRO.
