Last month the government published a consultation on proposed amendments to the Capacity Market following its earlier suspension as a result of a European Court of Justice Ruling in November. Proposals included a replacement “top-up” T-1 auction to be held in summer 2019 for delivery year 2019-20, though this will be dependent on a European Commission decision on State Aid. The document also proposed new deadlines related to milestone delivery and gave clarification on the pre-qualification process.

Last month saw Business and Energy Secretary Greg Clark deliver a speech outlining the government’s proposals for the future of the energy sector. Responding to the independent assessment by economist Dieter Helm in 2017, Clark discussed Carbon Capture, Usage and Storage, leaving the development of gas storage to the market and support for new nuclear. Clark also outlined four guiding principles that will drive strategy during these “transformative time” for the industry.

The month saw the government publish a series of guidance notes on how industry and the public can prepare for a no deal Brexit. Papers were published on 13 September addressing the Connecting Europe Facility energy funding, industrial emissions standards and oil and gas operations.

The government has opened two consultations seeking evidence on the practical implications of the closure of the Feed-in Tariff (FiT) and the future for small-scale low-carbon generation. The former proposes the closure of the export tariff and the generation tariff with no new applications for accreditation accepted after 31 March 2019, while the latter seeks to ensure that small-scale renewables can compete on a level playing field.