Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:

To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, with reference to Appendix 2 of the Contracts for Difference AR6 Allocation Framework 2024, Appendix 2 of the Contracts for Difference AR5 Allocation Framework 2023 and Appendix 2 of the Contracts for Difference AR4 Allocation Framework 2021, what methodology her Department used to calculate the market reference prices for the years 2026-27 to 2030-31; and for what reason it has been set lower than previous Contracts for Difference Allocation Rounds.

As set out in the accompanying note to the Budget Notice[1], the reference prices we use for the CfD budget are an output from the Department’s main power model and are characteristic of decarbonisation pathways that are net-zero consistent. Wholesale electricity prices are driven by many factors including electricity demand profiles, the plants that generate to meet this demand, as well as fuel price assumptions and carbon price assumptions. Changes in reference prices between rounds depend on the assumptions used in power modelling and the delivery years for each allocation round.

[1] The accompanying note to the Budget Notice can be found here:

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/contracts-for-difference-cfd-allocation-round-6-statutory-notices