UK makes 1st CfD payment

The first Contracts for Difference (CfDs) project in the UK is now generating electricity and the first CfDs generator payment has been made to Lightsource Renewable Energy, Low Carbon Contracts Company (LCCC) said Friday.

Solar company Lightsource said in early August it has connected the UK's first CfDs project, the 11.94-MW Charity Farm solar park, in Shropshire.

LCCC chief executive Neil McDermott said the milestone showed the full CfDs process was in place and operating. "We look forward to our other CFD projects also starting to generate electricity in the months and years to come," McDermott added.

LCCC, a government-owned company acting as counterparty to the CfDs, also announced that all the 39 CfDs, including Investment Contracts, it is currently managing have passed their milestone requirements. These contracts represent over 6 GW of capacity across a range of technologies, including offshore wind, onshore wind, biomass conversion, biomass with combined heat and power (CHP), solar, energy from waste and advanced conversion technology.

A major Scottish offshore wind farm, the 448-MW Neart na Gaoithe project, had its CfD terminated in March. The developer, Irish company Mainstream Renewable Power, is disputing the termination.

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