Citation, commencement and Interpretation

1.—(1) These Regulations may be cited as the Electricity (Guarantees of Origin of Electricity Produced from Renewable Energy Sources) (Amendment) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2008 and shall come into operation on 02 February 2009.

(2) The Interpretation Act (Northern Ireland) 1954(3) shall apply to these Regulations as it applies to an Act of the Northern Ireland Assembly.

Amendment of Electricity (Guarantees of Origin of Electricity Produced from Renewable Energy Sources) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2003

2.—(1) The Electricity (Guarantees of Origin of Electricity Produced from Renewable Energy Sources) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2003(4) shall be amended as provided by paragraphs (2) and (3)—

(2) In Regulation 2(1)—

(a)at the definition of “the Authority” the words “Northern Ireland Authority for Energy Regulation” shall be deleted and substituted by “Northern Ireland Authority for Utility Regulation” (5); and

(b)at the definition of “the Company” the words “Northern Ireland Electricity plc” shall be deleted and substituted by “NIE Energy Ltd”.

(3) In Schedule 2 (Information to be contained on the Register) in paragraph 2 after subparagraph (c) there should be added—

“(d)a statement as to whether the plant in question was throughout the period referred to in paragraph 1(d) accredited as mentioned in Article 16(2) of the Renewables Obligation Order (Northern Ireland) 2007(6) or Article 16(2) of the Renewables Obligation Order 2006(7) as amended by Article 14(2) of the Renewables Obligation 2006 (Amendment) Order 2007(8)”

Sealed with the Official Seal of the Department of Enterprise, Trade and Investment

on 19th December 2008.

Jenny Pyper

A senior officer of the

Department of Enterprise, Trade and Investment

EXPLANATORY NOTE

(This note is not part of the Order)

1.  These Regulations amend the Electricity (Guarantees of Origin of Electricity Produced from Renewable Energy Sources ) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2003 which provide for certificates guaranteeing the origin of electricity generated from renewable sources to be issued to generators by the Northern Ireland Authority for Utility Regulation on request.

2.  Regulation 2(2) replaces references in the original Regulations to the Northern Ireland Authority for Energy Regulation with a reference to the Northern Ireland Authority for Utility Regulation to reflect the name change that was made by Article 3 of the Water and Sewerage Services (Northern Ireland) Order 2006. It also replaces references to Northern Ireland Electricity plc with a reference to NIE Energy Ltd following the transfer of the power procurement and public electricity supply businesses from the former to the latter.

3.  Regulation 2(3) amends the Schedule 2 to the original Regulations to take account of the introduction of the Renewables Obligation in Northern Ireland from 1 April 2005. Specifically it requires renewable electricity generators that are applying for guarantee certificates under the Regulations to declare whether their generation station is also accredited for the issue of certificates under the Renewables Obligation.