'Dark Green' REGO prices rocket in latest UK electronic auction

The price of UK Renewable Energy Guarantees of Origin rose to around GBP0.70/MWh for wind, solar and hydro in a May 6 auction, driven sky high by over 3,500 bids on the day, the e-Power platform said May 11.

REGOs relating to Compliance Period 19 (April 2020 to March 2021) across all technologies were sold in the auction, but huge demand for "Deep Green" certificates (certifying solar PV, hydro and wind generation) pushed prices up to well over double current market rates, and up fourfold on the last auction in February.

"We understand that bilateral deals prior to the auction had been resulting in prices around the 30 pence mark," said e-Power Operations Director Melanie Reay in an email to S&P Global Platts.

The auctions helped to deepen the market for REGOs, increasing their value for renewable energy generators, she said.

Volumes of certificates sold in the auction were not immediately available.

The next e-Power REGO auction is planned for Oct. 5.

UK energy regulator Ofgem issues one REGO certificate per megawatt hour of eligible renewable output to generators of renewable electricity.

The certificate proves to final customers that a given share of energy has been produced from renewable sources. As such, the primary use of REGOs in Great Britain and Northern Ireland is for Fuel Mix Disclosure.

This is a requirement on licensed electricity suppliers to disclose to potential and existing customers the mix of fuels (coal, gas, nuclear, renewable and other) used to generate the electricity supplied.

This has to be done by July 1 each year, indicating why prices may have risen so sharply in the last e-REGO auction before the deadline.

S&P Global Platts assessed Compliance Period 20 non-bio REGOs at GBP0.58/MWh on May 10. Bio REGOs were assessed at GBP0.41/MWh.

E-REGO AUCTIONS: TRACK RECORD (GBP/certificate)