The Renewable Heat Incentive Schemes (Amendment) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2016

EXPLANATORY NOTE

(This note is not part of the Regulations)

These Regulations amend the Renewable Heat Incentive Scheme Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2012 (“the 2012 Regulations”) and the Domestic Renewable Heat Incentive Scheme Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2014 (“the 2014 Regulations”). The 2012 Regulations established a renewable heat incentive scheme for the non-domestic sector and the 2014 Regulations a renewable heat incentive scheme for the domestic sector, under which owners of plants which generate heat from specified renewable sources and meet specified criteria may receive payments at prescribed tariffs for the heat used for eligible purposes.

Regulations 3 to 6 amend the 2012 Regulations and regulations 7 to 9 amend the 2014 Regulations.

Regulation 4 introduces a new regulation 23A in the 2012 Regulations which gives the Department the power to issue a notice suspending the non-domestic RHI scheme in relation to new applications where it appears to the Department that it does not have or is not likely to have sufficient funds available to it for the purpose of meeting the full cost of periodic support payments for all eligible RHI installations accredited under the 2012 Regulations and RHI payments for all plants accredited under the 2014 Regulations. It also gives the Department the power to revoke any such notice and resume the operation of the non-domestic scheme.

Regulations 5 and 6 make consequential amendments to the 2012 Regulations.

Regulation 8 amends the 2014 Regulations by introducing a new regulation 22A which gives the Department the power to issue a notice suspending the domestic RHI scheme where regulation 23A(1) of the 2012 Regulations applies. It also gives the Department the power to revoke any such notice and resume the operation of the domestic scheme.

Regulation 9 makes consequential amendments to the 2014 Regulations.