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Section 32S: GB certificates

Electricity Act 1989 · 1989 c. 29View on legislation.gov.uk

Part I: ELECTRICITY SUPPLY

A certificate purchase order may (subject to subsection (3)) provide for the Authority to issue from time to time, in accordance with such criteria (if any) as are specified in the order, a certificate ("a GB certificate") to—

the operator of a generating station, or
if the order so provides, a person of any other description specified in the order.

A GB certificate is to certify—

the matters within subsection (4) or (5), or
if the order provides that a certificate may certify the matters within subsection (6), (7), (8) or (9), the matters within that subsection.

A GB certificate certifying that an amount of electricity has been generated from renewable sources in any period may not be issued if—

a renewables obligation order is in force, and
a renewables obligation certificate has been, or could be, issued under the order in respect of the generation in that period of the same electricity.

The matters within this subsection are—

that the generating station, or, in the case of a certificate issued otherwise than to the operator of a generating station, a generating station specified in the certificate, has generated from renewable sources the amount of electricity stated in the certificate, and
that the electricity has been supplied by an electricity supplier to customers in Great Britain.

The matters within this subsection are—

that the generating station, or, in the case of a certificate issued otherwise than to the operator of a generating station, a generating station specified in the certificate, has generated from renewable sources the amount of electricity stated in the certificate,
that the generating station in question is not in Northern Ireland, and
that the electricity has been supplied by a Northern Ireland supplier to customers in Northern Ireland.

The matters within this subsection are—

that two or more generating stations have, between them, generated from renewable sources the amount of electricity stated in the certificate, and
that the electricity has been supplied by an electricity supplier to customers in Great Britain.

The matters within this subsection are—

that two or more generating stations have, between them, generated from renewable sources the amount of electricity stated in the certificate,
that none of them is a generating station in Northern Ireland, and
that the electricity has been supplied by a Northern Ireland supplier to customers in Northern Ireland.

The matters within this subsection are—

that the generating station, or, in the case of a certificate issued otherwise than to the operator of a generating station, a generating station specified in the certificate, has generated from renewable sources the amount of electricity stated in the certificate, and
that the electricity has been used in a permitted way.

The matters within this subsection are—

that two or more generating stations have, between them, generated from renewable sources the amount of electricity stated in the certificate, and
that the electricity has been used in a permitted way.

For the purposes of subsections (8) and (9), electricity generated by a generating station, or generating stations, of any description is used in a permitted way if—

it is used in one of the ways mentioned in subsection (11), and
that way is specified in the order as a permitted way—
in relation to all generating stations, or
in relation to generating stations of that description.

Those ways are—

being consumed by the operator of the generating station or generating stations by which it was generated;
being supplied to customers in Great Britain through a private wire network;
being provided to a distribution system or a transmission system in circumstances in which its supply to customers cannot be demonstrated;
being used, as respects part, as mentioned in one of paragraphs (a), (b) or (c) and as respects the remainder—
as mentioned in one of the other paragraphs, or
as respects part, as mentioned in one of the other paragraphs and, as respects the remainder, as mentioned in the other;
being used, as respects part, as mentioned in paragraph (a), (b), (c) or (d) and, as respects the remainder, by being supplied by an electricity supplier to customers in Great Britain or by a Northern Ireland supplier to customers in Northern Ireland, or both.

Subsection (11) of section 32B (meaning of supply of electricity through a private wire network) applies for the purposes of subsection (11)(b) as it applies for the purposes of subsection (10)(b) of that section.

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This legislation text comes from legislation.gov.uk. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. These source and reuse terms cover the legislation text, not Remedy's commentary.

Reuse reviewed 21 August 2026 under Open Government Licence v3.0.