S.I. No. 403/2018 - Electricity Regulation Act 1999 (Public Service Obligations) (Amendment) Order 2018
Notice of the making of this Statutory Instrument was published in | ||
“Iris Oifigiúil” of 12th October, 2018. | ||
I, DENIS NAUGHTEN, Minister for Communications, Climate Action and Environment, in exercise of the powers conferred on me by section 39 (amended by Regulation 22 of the European Communities (Internal Market in Electricity) Regulations 2005 ( S.I. No. 60 of 2005 )) of the Electricity Regulation Act 1999 (No. 23 of 1999) and the Communications, Energy and Geological Survey of Ireland (Transfer of Departmental Administration and Ministerial Functions) Order 2002 ( S.I. No. 300 of 2002 ) (as adapted by the Communications, Energy and Natural Resources (Alteration of Name of Department and Title of Minister) Order 2016 ( S.I. No. 421 of 2016 )), following consultation with the Minister for Housing, Planning and Local Government (as adapted by the Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government (Alteration of Name of Department and Title of Minister) Order 2017 (S.I. 358 of 2017)), and having given a draft of this order to the persons upon whom the obligation is to be imposed, hereby order as follows: | ||
1. This Order may be cited as the Electricity Regulation Act 1999 (Public Service Obligations) (Amendment) Order 2018. | ||
2. In this Order “Order of 2017” means the Electricity Regulation Act 1999 (Public Service Obligations) (Amendment) Order 2017 ( S.I. No. 459 of 2017 ). | ||
3. The Electricity Regulation Act 1999 (Public Service Obligations) Order 2002 ( S.I. No. 217 of 2002 ) is amended — | ||
(a) in Article 2(1), by the insertion of the following definition: | ||
“ ‘Department’ means the Department of Communications, Climate Action and Environment;”, | ||
(b) in Article 2(1), by the substitution of the following definitions for the definitions of “AER V Notification”, “AER VI Notification”, “Notification”, “REFIT Contracts Notification” and “REFIT 3”: | ||
“ ‘AER V Notification’ means the correspondence referred to in paragraph 1 of EU Commission document C(2002) 3 fin dated 15 January 2002 relating to a notification to the EU Commission (Reference No. N553/2001 – Ireland) pursuant to Article 88 of the Treaty, as modified by the letter from the Department to the EU Commission dated 20 July 2018 and the letter from the EU Commission to the Department dated 30 August 2018 relating to a notification to the EU Commission (Reference No. SA.50385 (2018/PN)); | ||
‘AER VI Notification’ means the correspondence referred to in paragraph 1 of EU Commission document C(2002) 3 fin dated 15 January 2002 relating to a notification to the EU Commission (Reference No. N553/2001 – Ireland) pursuant to Article 88 of the Treaty and the correspondence referred to in paragraph 1 of EU Commission document C(2004) 3284 dated 19 August 2004 relating to a notification to the EU Commission (Reference No. N447/2003 – Ireland) pursuant to Article 88 of the Treaty, as modified by the letter from the Department to the EU Commission dated 20 July 2018 and the letter from the EU Commission to the Department dated 30 August 2018 relating to a notification to the EU Commission (Reference No. SA.50385 (2018/PN)); | ||
‘Notification’ means the correspondence referred to at paragraphs 1 to 4 of EU Commission document C(2001) 3265 fin dated 30 October 2001 and at paragraphs 1 and 2 of EU Commission document C(2002) 5 fin dated 15 January 2002 relating to a notification to the EU Commission (Reference Nos. N6/A/2001 and N826/2001 – Ireland) pursuant to Articles 16 and 86 of the Treaty, as modified by the letter from the Department to the EU Commission dated 20 July 2018 and the letter from the EU Commission to the Department dated 30 August 2018 relating to a notification to the EU Commission (Reference No. SA.50385 (2018/PN)); | ||
‘REFIT Contracts Notification’ means the correspondence referred to in paragraph 1 of EU Commission document C(2007) 4317 dated 25 September 2007 relating to a notification to the EU Commission (Reference No. N571/2006 – Ireland) pursuant to Article 88 of the Treaty, the correspondence referred to in paragraph 1 of EU Commission document C(2012) 8 final dated 12 January 2011 (sic) relating to a notification to the EU Commission (Reference No. SA.31236 (2011/N) – Ireland) pursuant to Article 108 of the Treaty, or the correspondence referred to in paragraph 1 of EU Commission document C(2011) 7593 final dated 18 October 2011 relating to a notification to the EU Commission (Reference No. SA. 31861 (2011/N) Ireland) pursuant to Article 108 of the Treaty, as each modified by the letter from the Department to the EU Commission dated 20 July 2018 and the letter from the EU Commission to the Department dated 30 August 2018 relating to a notification to the EU Commission (Reference No. SA.50385 (2018/PN)); | ||
‘REFIT 3’ means the 2012 Renewable Energy Feed in Tariff (electricity generation from biomass technologies) scheme, as referred to in State Aid Decision C(2011) 7593 final reference SA. 31861 (2011/N) Ireland;”, | ||
(c) in Article 4(1G) (amended by Article 2(a) of the Electricity Regulation Act 1999 (Public Service Obligations) (Amendment) Order 2014 ( S.I. No. 603 of 2014 )), by the substitution of the following paragraph for paragraph (d): | ||
“(d) in the case of REFIT 2, not later than 31 March 2020.”, | ||
(d) by the deletion of Schedule 1A, | ||
(e) by the substitution of the Schedule set out in Schedule 1 to these Regulations for Schedule 3 (amended by Article 3(c) of the Electricity Regulation Act 1999 (Public Service Obligations) (Amendment) Order 2016 ( S.I. No. 600 of 2016 )), | ||
(f) by the substitution of the Schedule set out in Schedule 2 to these Regulations for Schedule 4 (amended by Article 3(a) of the Order of 2017), | ||
and | ||
(g) by the substitution of the Schedule set out in Schedule 3 to these Regulations for Schedule 5 (amended by Article 3(b) of the Order of 2017). | ||
SCHEDULE 1 | ||
“Schedule 3 | ||
In this Schedule – | ||
‘biomass’ means the biodegradable fraction of products, waste and residues from biological origin from agriculture (including vegetal and animal substances), forestry and related industries including fisheries and aquaculture, as well as the biodegradable fraction of industrial and municipal waste; | ||
‘LFG’ means landfill gas; | ||
‘CHP’ means combined heat and power; | ||
‘small scale wind project’ means any wind-powered electricity generating plant with a maximum export capacity of or less than 5 MW which is connected directly to the electricity network and metered independently of any other electricity generating plant; | ||
‘large scale wind project’ means an onshore wind project with a maximum export capacity greater than 5 MW which is connected directly to the electricity network and metered independently of any other electricity generating plant; | ||
‘hydro project’ means any hydro-powered electricity generating plant with a maximum export capacity of or less than 5 MW which is connected directly to the electricity network and metered independently of any other electricity generating plant. | ||
| ||
* trading as Energia | ||
** Note that this plant will have a variable biodegradable fuel content, affecting the proportion of its exported electricity eligible for REFIT. This will be estimated ex-ante and will be certified for the purposes of REFIT calculations on an ex-post basis | ||
**** trading as Electric Ireland.”. | ||
SCHEDULE 2 | ||
“Schedule 4 | ||
In this Schedule – | ||
‘biomass’ means the biodegradable fraction of products, waste and residues from biological origin from agriculture (including vegetal and animal substances), forestry and related industries including fisheries and aquaculture, as well as the biodegradable fraction of industrial and municipal waste; | ||
‘LFG’ means landfill gas; | ||
‘small scale wind project’ means any wind-powered electricity generating plant with a maximum export capacity of or less than 5 MW which is connected directly to the electricity network and metered independently of any other electricity generating plant; | ||
‘large scale wind project’ means an onshore wind project with a maximum export capacity greater than 5 MW which is connected directly to the electricity network and metered independently of any other electricity generating plant; | ||
‘hydro project’ means any hydro-powered electricity generating plant with a maximum export capacity of or less than 5 MW which is connected directly to the electricity network and metered independently of any other electricity generating plant. | ||
| ||
* trading as Energia | ||
**** trading as Electric Ireland.”. | ||
SCHEDULE 3 | ||
“Schedule 5 | ||
In this Schedule – | ||
‘AD’ means anaerobic digestion; | ||
‘anaerobic digestion’ means the process by which biomass material is broken down by micro-organisms under anaerobic conditions, and where the resulting biogas is used to generate electricity; | ||
‘biomass’ means the biodegradable fraction of products, waste and residues from biological origin from agriculture (including vegetal and animal substances), forestry and related industries including fisheries and aquaculture, as well as the biodegradable fraction of industrial and municipal waste; | ||
‘co-firing’ means the combustion of biomass, up to 30% of the stated electricity generation capacity of the plant in any single year, in one of the existing three peat fired power stations operational under state aid clearance; | ||
‘cogeneration’ means the simultaneous generation in one process of thermal energy and electrical or mechanical energy, or electrical and mechanical energy; | ||
‘HECHP’ means high efficiency cogeneration which complies with criteria specified in Annex II of Directive 2012/27/EC1 . | ||
| ||
* trading as Energia | ||
** Note that these plants will have variable biodegradable fuel content, affecting the proportion of their exported electricity eligible for REFIT. This will be estimated ex-ante and will be certified for the purposes of REFIT calculations on an ex-post basis. | ||
*** Note exact MWh to receive REFIT in respect of these plants will only be known ex-post. | ||
**** trading as Electric Ireland.”. | ||
| ||
GIVEN under my Official Seal, | ||
27 September 2018. | ||
DENIS NAUGHTEN, | ||
Minister for Communications, Climate Action and Environment. | ||
EXPLANATORY NOTE | ||
(This note is not part of the Instrument and does not purport to be a legal interpretation.) | ||
This Order modifies and updates elements of Statutory Instrument 217 of 2002, the principal order, dealing with the public service obligation on electricity consumers. This Order specifically updates the principal order in respect of renewable energy projects in the Alternative Energy Requirement (AER) V Scheme and Renewable Energy Feed in Tariff Schemes. This Order does not update the renewable energy projects in the AER VI Scheme which remain as listed in the Statutory Instrument Order 600 of 2016. In addition, this Order updates a number of definitions in the principal order to reflect the new I-SEM arrangements regarding the calculation of additional costs. | ||