Consultation outcome

Contracts for Difference (CfD) for low carbon electricity generation: new Supply Chain Plan questionnaire

This was published under the 2019 to 2022 Johnson Conservative government

Applies to England, Scotland and Wales

This consultation has concluded

Read the full outcome

Detail of outcome

The government response confirms decisions made to restructure the Supply Chain Plan questionnaire, simplify many of the questions and improve the clarity of the guidance for the Supply Chain Plan process for projects of 300MW or above wishing entering a CfD allocation round. Specifically, we have:

  • redesigned the questionnaire to align with the central government economic strategy, Build back better: our plan for growth
  • reduced the number of questions and made many reporting requirements less onerous than originally consulted on
  • expanded the guidance accompanying the Supply Chain Plan questionnaire to provide greater clarity on the process from application to implementation. It also sets out the more rigorous and intensive monitoring process for Supply Chain Plan implementation
  • restored the requirement to submit a Post Build Report once the project has been fully commissioned

The government believes the revised Supply Chain Plan questionnaire strikes the right balance between requesting information that is necessary to assess the merits of each Supply Chain Plan fairly and transparently, while keeping requests simple and clear in recognition of commercial sensitivities and administrative burdens.

We have published revised versions of the Supply Chain Plan guidance and questionnaire alongside this government response.

Detail of feedback received

The consultation attracted 26 individual written responses. Of these, 10 were from developers of renewable generating stations and 3 were from trade associations. The consultation also saw a small number of responses from:

  • trade unions
  • local government
  • NGOs
  • consultancies
  • technology manufacturers
  • energy councils

Original consultation

Summary

We're seeking views on a new Supply Chain Plan questionnaire to be completed as part of the application process to enter a Contract for Difference allocation round.

This consultation ran from
to

Consultation description

We’re seeking views on proposals for a new Supply Chain Plan questionnaire for CfD applicants. It will form the basis of:

  • the initial assessment before an allocation round
  • the ongoing monitoring, review and assessment after CfD signature

These plans were set out in the November 2020 consultation on proposals to strengthen our Supply Chain Plan policy and on changes to the CfD contract which closes on 28 January 2021.

Applicant responses to the scored sections of the Supply Chain Plan questionnaire will be assessed to determine eligibility to participate in the CfD scheme. Delivery of the activities and outcomes committed to in the scored sections of the Supply Chain Plan will then subsequently be monitored as part of an ongoing process after CfD signature. Finally, they will be assessed in the Supply Chain Implementation Report by the Secretary of State before the generating station is due to be commissioned.

We welcome responses from anyone with an interest in Supply Chain issues, in particular:

  • those considering new low carbon energy projects in Great Britain (GB)
  • businesses involved in low carbon electricity generation supply chains
  • consumer and environmental groups with an interest in the electricity sector

See the BEIS consultation privacy notice.

Please do not send responses by post to the department at the moment as we may not be able to access them.

Documents

Draft: Supply Chain Plan questionnaire, submission template Allocation Round 4

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Supply Chain Plan questionnaire: submission tables

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Updates to this page

Published 14 January 2021
Last updated 7 July 2021 + show all updates
  1. Government response published.

  2. First published.

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