Energy policy is devolved in Northern Ireland and is the responsibility of the Northern Ireland Executive Department for the Economy.<\/p>
<\/p>
The Contracts for Difference scheme, which applies UK-wide, was not implemented in Northern Ireland. The reasons were set out by the Northern Ireland Executive Minister for the Economy in response to a written question (AQW 3094/17-22) tabled on 3 March 2020 and answered on 19 March 2020. The answer states that the Northern Ireland Executive considered that joining the scheme, which was introduced in Great Britain in 2014, would have placed a guaranteed additional cost burden on Northern Ireland consumers, on top of existing support that consumers already paid for the Renewables Obligations.<\/p>
<\/p>
When the primary legislation for Contracts for Difference was put in place at the outset, provisions were put in place for Northern Ireland to join at a later date if conditions were right.<\/p>
<\/p>
In developing its Energy Strategy, The Path to Net Zero Energy, <\/em>the Department for the Economy carried out a consultation from December 2019 to March 2020. This consultation asked whether respondents agreed that the Department for the Economy should explore with the UK Government Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy the possibility of extending the Contracts for Difference scheme to Northern Ireland. 92% of respondents answered \u2018yes\u2019 to this question and the Northern Ireland Executive\u2019s Energy Strategy, The Path to Net Zero Energy, <\/em>published in December 2021, confirmed that the Northern Ireland Executive is exploring whether the Contracts for Difference scheme should be extended to Northern Ireland.<\/p> <\/p> It is vital that the Northern Ireland Executive is restored, so that locally elected representatives are in place to continue important policy development relating to energy and net zero on behalf of the people of Northern Ireland.<\/p> The Northern Ireland Renewables Obligation is the principal renewable energy scheme in Northern Ireland, supporting renewable electricity generation. Usually paid for by consumers via their electricity bills, the levy costs are currently further reduced under the UK Government\u2019s energy bill support measures.<\/p> <\/p> The Government continues to work with Northern Ireland\u2019s Department for the Economy officials to identify a suitable pathway for a Northern Ireland Contracts for Difference scheme to bring more renewable generation online.<\/p>"}
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], "questionText" : "To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, whether he is taking steps with Cabinet colleagues and the Northern Ireland Executive to help ensure that the proportion of energy generated from renewable sources is reflected in the energy prices charged to energy consumers in Northern Ireland; and what recent steps his Department has taken to increase the level of renewable energy generation.", "registeredInterest" : {"_value" : "false", "_datatype" : "boolean"}
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], "answer" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/resources/1364845/answer", "answerText" : {"_value" : " The Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy is working closely with Northern Ireland\u2019s Department for the Economy and is committed to exploring options for Northern Ireland to join the Contracts for Difference (CfD) scheme \u2013 the UK\u2019s main support mechanism for large-scale renewable generation. My Rt. Hon. Friend the Secretary of State also recently met with the Northern Ireland Assembly's Minister for the Economy Gordon Lyons where, amongst other issues, there was a discussion around Northern Ireland and the CfD scheme. Current work is considering a range of issues, including impacts on consumer bills and wider implications for how the scheme operates currently in Great Britain.<\/p>"}
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], "questionText" : "To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what assessment his Department has made of the potential merits for the UK\u2019s net-zero ambitions of extending the Contracts for Difference scheme to cover renewable energy projects in Northern Ireland.", "registeredInterest" : {"_value" : "false", "_datatype" : "boolean"}
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<\/p>"}
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