Fuelling and sustainability
Fuelling and sustainability
The FIT scheme is now closed to applications.
Read more about the scheme closure.
From 1 May 2017, sustainability criteria and feedstock restrictions apply to anaerobic digestion (AD) installations on the Feed-in Tariffs (FIT) scheme.
For a detailed guide on the requirements and how to meet the sustainability criteria and feedstock restrictions, see Feed-in Tariffs: Guidance on sustainability criteria and feedstock restrictions.
Who is affected?
The sustainability criteria and feedstock restrictions applied to AD generators who submitted a new application for preliminary or ROO-FIT accreditation on or after 1 May 2017.
Scheme requirements
1. Sustainability criteria
To be eligible for FIT generation payments, you will need to use feedstocks that meet the sustainability criteria:
- Land criteria: these focus on the land from which the biomass is sourced.
- Greenhouse Gas (GHG) criteria: these account for the life cycle GHG emissions of the biomass.
You can find more info on the sustainability criteria in our guidance on sustainability criteria and feedstock restrictions.
2. Feedstock restrictions
These may impact the amount of FIT generation payments you’re eligible to receive in each FIT payment year, if you are not using feedstocks classified as ‘wastes’ or ‘residues’.
To help you classify the feedstock you’re using, you can use our Fuel Classification Flow Diagram.
To help you classify the feedstock you’re using, you can use our Fuel Classification Flow Diagram.
3. Reporting requirements
- Quarterly sustainability declarations: you must submit these to Ofgem within 28 days of the end of each reporting quarter.
- Quarterly generation meter readings: you must submit generation meter readings to your FIT licensee within 28 days of the end of each reporting quarter.
- Annual feedstock declarations: you must submit these to Ofgem within three months of the end of each reporting year.
- Annual independent audit reports: if your installation has a Total Installed Capacity of greater than or equal to 1 MW, you must submit annual independent audit reports to Ofgem within three months of the end of each reporting year.
You can find all the templates for these declarations in the ‘publications and updates’ section below.
For more info on the reporting requirements and what data the reports must contain, see our guidance on sustainability criteria and feedstock restrictions and our guidance on sustainability audit reports.
Need help?
If you have a question about the FIT sustainability and feedstock requirements, you can email us at FuellingandSustainability@Ofgem.gov.uk