Renewables Obligation (RO)

An agent, as defined in the Renewables Obligation Orders, can be appointed to act on behalf of the operator of a generating station. Any operator can appoint an agent although currently the mainly in Northern Ireland.

How to become an agent

To become an agent, you will need to create an 'agent account' on the Register. After creating the account, you can then add generating stations under your management to your account. During this process, an agent appointment form showing authorisation from any generating station(s) will have to be uploaded, and   more information on how this can be done can be found in Chapter 1 of the Renewables and CHP User guide.

Role of an agent

Once appointed, an agent carries out all the functions of the operator, including:

  • managing accreditation applications,
  • handling any queries raised by Ofgem,
  • raising any relevant issues on behalf of the station,
  • agreeing declarations on behalf of the stations it represents,
  • collecting and submitting output data,
  • maintaining a record of information for audit purposes, and
  • claiming ROCs.

Agent audits

Agents are audited by Ofgem on an annual basis to ensure that have the necessary infrastructure in place to carry out their functions as an agent. Once the audit has been carried out, a report is released and sent over to the agent detailing the findings.

When an agreement comes to an end

An operator/agent agreement should usually last until the end of an obligation period. However, both operators of generating stations and agents have the option to terminate their agent contract. The termination of agent access will take effect from 1 April of the new obligation period unless the contract is terminated in exceptional circumstances.

When an operator switches agent, or no longer wishes to have an agent, ROCs relating to the earlier obligation period will be issued to the original agent. This is a requirement under the Renewables Obligation Orders.

More Information