Contracts for Difference Allocation Round 8

2026Round 82 scoring criteriahybrid combination

Also known as: AR8, Allocation Round 8, CfD Allocation Round 8, Contracts for Difference Allocation Round 8, UK AR8, UK CfD AR8, Great Britain CfD Allocation Round 8

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Framework Snapshot

AR8 is being launched into a more confident market than AR7: AR7’s 8.4 GW offshore-wind result (14 January 2026), AR7a’s 6.2 GW non-offshore-wind result (10 February 2026), and LCCC’s AR7 contract signing milestone (25 March 2026) reduced immediate procurement pressure and helped DESNZ bring AR8 forward from autumn to July 2026 under the Clean Power 2030 mission. The round opens against enduring 2030 policy targets of 50 GW offshore wind and 5 GW floating offshore wind, with a pipeline spanning Crown Estate Round 4, Celtic Sea Round 5, ScotWind and INTOG, and with first potential ODOW participation. Its launch conditions are also shaped by the CIB statutory base, SI 2025/903 bid-visibility rules, Employment Rights Act 2025 / Fair Work Charter context, NESO Connections Reform, and the AR8-specific statutory instruments and CMA SAU CIB scrutiny scheduled around spring 2026.

Competition

Bidders (preQ → bid → won)

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Format

Sealed · single-round

Prize / Award

Award

Clean Industry Bonus + Contract for Difference

Capacity

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Target delivery

Clause 5.1 of the draft Phase 1 (Apportioned) Agreement provides that the Initial Target Commissioning Window is one year, commencing on the specified date. The standard terms add that the Start Date in a Start Date Notice must be no earlier than the first day of the Target Commissioning Window (Condition 3.21A(B)).

Project stage at bidding

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Commercial terms

Price

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Payment duration

20 years

Indexation

CPI

Risk allocation

Site investigation

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Offshore transmission

—

Negative prices

The 'Intermittent Difference Amount' is zero (0) for any and all Settlement Units forming part of an 'Intermittent Negative Price Period' (definition in Condition 17). 'Intermittent Negative Price Period' means any period of one (1) or more Settlement Units in respect of which the Intermittent Market Reference Price is negative (less than £0/MWh).

Wake-loss support

—

Curtailment policy

Part 11 (Curtailment) of the Conditions applies to the CfD. The curtailment regime is set out in Conditions 48-50, including compensation for Qualifying CPC Events, and billing can include amounts payable by either the CfD Counterparty or the Generator in respect of Curtailment Compensation Shortfall or Curtailment Compensation Excess. The detailed compensation formula is in Part 11 / related definitions rather than the CIB allocation framework extract.

Non-delivery penalties

Extra-proposal CIB payments are only payable to the extent the relevant commitments are delivered: partial delivery may result in partial CIB payment and non-delivery may result in no CIB payment for that commitment. Minimum standards must still be met regardless of whether any extra-proposal funding is awarded (Allocation Framework paragraph 6.9). If CIB Minimum Standards are not met in full, the Generator must pay the Facility CIB Minimum Standard Performance Amount under Schedule 2, paragraphs 5.1-5.2.

1Prize Composition

Award Components

Clean Industry Bonus(4y)— CIB payments are paid in instalments over billing periods, with quantum and periodicity determined under Schedule 2, over a maximum period of 4 years from the point payments begin.

The Clean Industry Bonus (CIB) provides extra or enhanced Contracts for Difference (CfD) revenue support, described in Schedule 2 as a sustainable industry reward, to eligible generators that invest in the economic, social and environmental sustainability of their supply chains. Applicants may seek further revenue support through competitive 'CIB extra proposals' under criteria including shorter supply chains or cleaner supply chains. Eligible generators successful in the primary or secondary allocation of the CIB budget, and successful in the relevant CfD allocation round, may receive CIB payments upon successful delivery of the investments specified in their CIB extra proposal(s).

Contract for Difference(20y)— For offshore wind technologies, the Specified Expiry Date is the 20th anniversary of the earlier of the Start Date and the last day of the Target Commissioning Window. The rights and obligations become effective on the Agreement Date, subject to Conditions Precedent, and continue until the Specified Expiry Date unless terminated earlier under the standard terms.

A Contract for Difference (CfD) is the Government's policy instrument for incentivising new low carbon electricity generating projects in Great Britain. It is entered into following the applicable contract allocation or negotiation process established under or by virtue of the Energy Act 2013. The contract comprises the CfD Agreement together with the FiT Contract for Difference Standard Terms and Conditions; one source describes it as a private law contract between a generator and the Low Carbon Contracts Company, while the standard terms refer to the CfD Counterparty. Variants mentioned include phased projects, including a Phase 1 agreement for the first phase of a Phased Project, private network generators, and unincorporated joint ventures.

Delivery Obligations

Initial Milestone Delivery Date — 18 months after Agreement Date

→ Failure to satisfy Milestone Requirement may trigger Termination under Part 12 of the Standard Terms and Conditions; collateral may be drawn on; 20-year CfD clock continues to run (erodes subsidy period day-for-day).

Target Commissioning Window (end) — Target Commissioning Date within the TCW (last day of TCW at latest)

→ Late commissioning past TCW end erodes subsidy period day-for-day (20-year clock already running); OCPs must be satisfied before Longstop Date to avoid Termination.

Longstop Date — TCW end + Longstop Period (18 or 24 months per technology)

→ Termination by LCCC if Operational Conditions Precedent are not satisfied; Termination Amount calculated per Annex 1 of the Standard Terms and Conditions.

Deliver CIB minimum-standard and extra-proposal commitments — Investment Final Date (Start Date, extendable up to 6 months)

→ CIB Minimum Standard Performance Amount payable to LCCC (deducted from CfD payments, capped at SP × MO per Instalment Interval); CIB Extra Investment Reward Amount forfeited pro-rata for undelivered share; Fair Work Charter withdrawal by generator or service-provider results in CIB payments ceasing.

TCW: Clause 5.1 of the draft Phase 1 (Apportioned) Agreement provides that the Initial Target Commissioning Window is one year, commencing on the specified date. The standard terms add that the Start Date in a Start Date Notice must be no earlier than the first day of the Target Commissioning Window (Condition 3.21A(B)).

Late delivery: Extra-proposal CIB payments are only payable to the extent the relevant commitments are delivered: partial delivery may result in partial CIB payment and non-delivery may result in no CIB payment for that commitment. Minimum standards must still be met regardless of whether any extra-proposal funding is awarded (Allocation Framework paragraph 6.9). If CIB Minimum Standards are not met in full, the Generator must pay the Facility CIB Minimum Standard Performance Amount under Schedule 2, paragraphs 5.1-5.2.

Extension grounds: Events or circumstances that were unforeseeable at the time at application and were outside of the applicant’s reasonable control (section 7.1).; Evidence that there is a credible plan to rectify the non-delivery of the CIB commitments in question (section 10.19).; “A manufacturer and/or installation firm and/or port cannot deliver on their contractual commitments with the Generator” (section 7.7.1).; “Other parties to an investment pull out from the investment, making the investment unviable” (section 7.7.2).; “A third party, to whom investment was hypothecated, fails to deliver the investment” (section 7.7.3).; Time after the Start Date granted by the Secretary of State for obtaining a Facility CIB Implementation Statement ('Investment Extension Period') (Schedule 2, para. 1.1).; Force majeure formalized in regulations with Secretary of State discretion (Section: Key Decisions > Process Improvements > Force majeure).

Prize Consideration (winner → state)

one time upfront

Eligible generator must contribute the industry-agreed sum / full industry agreed contribution set by the Offshore Wind Growth Partnership toward the Industrial Growth Plan Delivery Body as part of the financial minimum standards. For Allocation Round 8, the agreed sum is £10m per GW, as set out in the OWIC 2025 Charter. The contribution may, at the applicant's discretion, count toward the total minimum standard spend.

GBP 10,000,000 GBP per GW

Trigger: By the time the generator applies for an implementation statement and in any event before the Investment Final Date; within the timelines expected by the Offshore Wind Growth Partnership, with confirmation that the IGP contribution has been made required as evidence.

Offshore Wind Growth Partnership / Industrial Growth Plan Delivery Body (100%) — Industrial Growth Plan Delivery Body contribution required to meet CIB financial minimum standards; IGP Delivery Body assumed by the Offshore Wind Growth Partnership.

2Competition Mechanism

Strike Price(GBP/MWh (2024 prices))↓ Lower wins

Phases: final binding (binding)

Bid Format

Single application-window process for the Clean Industry Bonus. Eligible generators submit one CIB application per project and applications must not contain more than one technology (paragraph 4.4). A CIB application may include minimum standards proposals and between one and fifteen CIB extra proposals (paragraphs 3.4, 9.1). DESNZ assesses applications after the window closes, scores eligible extra proposals, ranks them, and allocates the CIB budget (sections 8, 13, 15, 17).

sealedsingle-round1 rounds

Cycle structure: single cycle sealed

Stop: The CIB application window is open for 7 working days; after closure DESNZ assesses, scores, ranks and allocates budget (paragraph 4.6; sections 13, 15 and 17).

Selection: Ranking by normalised score across all eligible CIB extra proposals, with tiebreak rules in paragraph 15.3 and budget allocation in rank order under section 17.

3Qualifying Gates

technology eligibilitybinary predicate

Only offshore wind generators and floating offshore wind generators are eligible for the CfD Clean Industry Bonus in Allocation Round 8; no other technologies are eligible (paragraph 2.5).

CIB Statement required for CfD entrybinary predicate

Eligible generators of fixed and floating offshore wind must hold and provide a CIB Statement by the Secretary of State to NESO (as Delivery Body) and LCCC in order to be eligible to enter or qualify for CfD Allocation Round 8.

financial minimum standard thresholdformula based

Applicants must contribute their own funding to at least one sustainability criterion, and total investment across all CIB minimum standards proposals must be at least £100m per GW for fixed bottom offshore wind or at least £50m per GW for floating offshore wind, indexed as per section 20 (paragraphs 6.1(i)-(ii), 8.4(ii); guidance section 1.2).

IGP Delivery Body contribution commitmentquantitative minimum≥10000000 GBP per GW

The eligible generator must contribute the industry agreed sum to the IGP Delivery Body; for AR8 this is £10m per GW as set out in the OWIC 2025 Charter (paragraph 6.1(iii)). Guidance describes this as part of the CIB Financial Minimum Standards before revenue support can be unlocked.

Fair Work Charter signatory requirementbinary predicate

The eligible generator and, where relevant, UK-based or nominated/contracted service providers must be signatories of the interim Fair Work Charter no later than the day the CIB application window closes (paragraphs 6.1(iv), 6.12-6.16, 8.4(iv)). Other source documents also describe participation or sign-up by relevant suppliers, ports and installers for AR8.

Criterion 1 recipient eligibilitybinary predicate

For a proposal to meet Criterion 1 at the time of application, the investment recipient must be a manufacturing facility, installation firm or port; be located in a UK deprived area; and be a signatory of the interim Fair Work Charter, subject to the exemptions in paragraph 11.3. Another source states exemptions are granted to small enterprises (≤50 staff) and new facilities in AR8.

Criterion 2 recipient eligibilitybinary predicate

For a proposal to meet Criterion 2 at the time of application, the investment recipient must be a manufacturing facility or installation firm and be owned or operated by manufacturers that can evidence having set or committed to a Science Based Target by the first day the CIB application window is open (paragraphs 12.2-12.3).

application completeness and truthfulnessbinary predicate

All relevant information required under paragraph 10.1 must be provided, and all information must be truthful and accurate to the best of the eligible generator's knowledge (paragraphs 10.3-10.4; paragraph 13.16).

Commitment to agreed investments via funding agreementsbinary predicate

Under 'Additional Requirements', the document lists: 'Commitment to agreed investments via funding agreements.'

essential documentary evidence and information submitted by application deadlinebinary predicate

Applications should continue to be disqualified where essential documentary evidence and information has not been submitted by the application deadline, provided that the evidence or information existed and was in the applicant’s possession at the time of submission.

Excluded application - surrendered CfD capacitybinary predicate

Projects must not include capacity previously awarded a CfD in a prior allocation round and later surrendered through Permitted Reduction and/or Final Installed Capacity flexibilities; the Government proposes to retain this excluded-application restriction for AR8 and subsequent allocation rounds, applying to projects from allocation rounds 1-7.

Valid connection agreementbinary predicate

The vast majority of CfD generators are required to have obtained a valid connection agreement enabling electricity generation from the proposed CfD Unit to be supplied to the transmission system, the distribution system or a private network in order to be eligible for a CfD.

Connection date on or before Target Commissioning Dateformula based

The required connection agreement must stipulate a connection date which occurs either on or before the Target Commissioning Date specified in the application by the generator.

Gate 2 connection agreement requiredbinary predicate

All applicants must have a Gate 2 connection agreement to be eligible to apply for a CfD; projects holding only a Gate 1 connection agreement, including 'Gate 1 with reservation' connection agreements, do not satisfy the requirement.

ODOW eligibility demonstrationformula based

For AR8, applicants for Other Deepwater Offshore Wind (ODOW) would have to demonstrate to the Delivery Body (NESO) that their project is expected, by the Target Commissioning Date, to have satisfied the conditions set out in the ODOW definition.

ODOW unconsented-project exclusionbinary predicate

ODOW projects will not be eligible to apply as an Unconsented Project; only fixed-bottom offshore wind projects may apply as an Unconsented Project.

4Scoring Dimensions

Criterion 1 – Investment in shorter Supply Chainssupply_chainhigher winsparallel scalar

Method: quantitative formula

Unit: normalised score

Criterion 2 – Investment in more sustainable means of productionenvironmentalhigher winsparallel scalar

Method: quantitative formula

Unit: normalised score

5Tiebreak Chain

criterion 1 tie higher investment wins — If tied proposals are all Criterion 1 bids, rank them according to the amount of investment the eligible generator proposed to make, from highest to lowest amount of investment committed (paragraph 15.3.1).
criterion 2 or mixed tie lower support request wins — If tied proposals are all Criterion 2 bids, or a mixture of both criteria, rank them according to the amount of extra CfD revenue support required through the Clean Industry Bonus, with proposals requiring less support ranked above proposals requiring more support (paragraph 15.3.2).
electronic random assignment — If proposals cannot be separated by the earlier tiebreakers, rank them at random using an electronic random assignment process (paragraph 15.3.3).

6Revenue Mechanism

Instrumenthybrid combination

Directionbidirectional

Term20 years

Term StartFor the underlying CfD, the Specified Expiry Date is the 20th anniversary of the earlier of the Start Date and the last day of the Target Commissioning Window (Clause 3 in the draft CfD forms). For the CIB component, section 12.2 provides that CIB bonus payments, whether partial or full, can only start once the Generator has received an Implementation Statement; they may begin before CfD payments start, and are then paid over billing periods for a maximum of 4 years from the point CIB payments begin.

Indexationcpi — CPI applies across the hybrid mechanism. For the Clean Industry Bonus, sections 20.1-20.3 provide that all CIB payments are indexed every January starting in January 2026; revenue support allocated to eligible generators is indexed from January 2026 and that indexation is applied to revenue support payments starting in April 2027. For the underlying CfD, the Strike Price is also CPI-indexed annually during the term, with the annual indexation adjustment taking effect each 1 April. 'CPI' is the ONS all-items consumer price inflation index, subject to contractual replacement provisions if discontinued or materially changed.

Reference PriceFor intermittent technologies, Part 5B / Annex 5 govern the Intermittent Market Reference Price (IMRP). The Initial IMRP Indices are the APX Intermittent Index and the N2Ex Intermittent Index. A 'GB Day Ahead Hourly Price' is published by an Intermittent Price Source in accordance with EUR 2013/543, and under Condition 21.3 any Intermittent Price Source not available to the CfD Counterparty on commercially reasonable terms is excluded from the calculation for that Settlement Unit. Part 5A / Annex 4 separately govern the Baseload Market Reference Price for baseload technologies.

Price ComputationConditions 21.1-21.2 provide that the CfD Counterparty calculates the Intermittent Market Reference Price for each Settlement Unit. If any Intermittent Price Source has published a GB Day Ahead Hourly Price for the Settlement Unit and each publishing source shows the same price, the IMRP is that GB Day Ahead Hourly Price. If none has published a GB Day Ahead Hourly Price, or the published prices are not the same, the IMRP is the volume-weighted average of Day Ahead Hourly Prices across available Intermittent Price Sources: sum(DAP_i,t × DAV_i,t) / sum(DAV_i,t), subject to the contractual fallback rules for unavailable sources or data.

Rate Cadenceper settlement unit

Negative Price RuleDeveloper not paid — The 'Intermittent Difference Amount' is zero (0) for any and all Settlement Units forming part of an 'Intermittent Negative Price Period' (definition in Condition 17). 'Intermittent Negative Price Period' means any period of one (1) or more Settlement Units in respect of which the Intermittent Market Reference Price is negative (less than £0/MWh).

Curtailment CompensationPart 11 (Curtailment) of the Conditions applies to the CfD. The curtailment regime is set out in Conditions 48-50, including compensation for Qualifying CPC Events, and billing can include amounts payable by either the CfD Counterparty or the Generator in respect of Curtailment Compensation Shortfall or Curtailment Compensation Excess. The detailed compensation formula is in Part 11 / related definitions rather than the CIB allocation framework extract.

7Authorities & Jurisdiction

Department for Energy Security and Net Zeropolicy ownerscheme ownerdelivery bodynational

Legal basis: Framework prepared under the Contracts for Difference (Allocation) Regulations 2014 and the Electricity Market Reform (General) Regulations 2014, as amended (paragraph 2.1). Document remains draft until underlying legislation has been approved by parliament.

Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zeropolicy ownerscheme ownerawarding bodyappeals authoritynational

Legal basis: Referenced throughout drafting notes as issuing the CfD Standard Terms Notice under regulation 9 of the Contracts for Difference (Standard Terms) Regulations 2014. Contracts for Difference (Allocation) Regulations 2014 regulation 28E; Electricity Market Reform (General) Regulations 2014 including regulation 12E, as cited in sections 2.9A, 2.10, 6.2 and footnotes. Issued the standard terms and conditions in accordance with section 11(1) of the EA 2013.

National Energy System Operatordelivery bodygrid system operatornational

Legal basis: Throughout the document NESO is identified as the Delivery Body responsible for assessment of CfD applications, issuing qualification and non-qualification determinations, correcting Delivery Body errors where provided for in the Contract Allocation Framework, and determining Tier 1 reviews. Described in the document as the CfD Delivery Body; also responsible for connection reform and Schedule 5 eligibility assessment proposals referenced in the consultation.

Low Carbon Contracts Company Ltdcounterpartynational

Legal basis: Background (C)-(E): enters into the CfD solely for the purpose of implementing the provisions of the EA 2013; the agreement is a CfD Agreement for the purpose of the Conditions. Makes the offer to contract pursuant to section 14 of the EA 2013 and enters into the CfD Agreement with the Eligible Generator (Preliminary (B)).

Offshore Wind Growth Partnershipdelivery bodyfiscal recipientnational

Subsidy Advice Unit (Competition and Markets Authority)national

Legal basis: Reviewing body for the referral under the Subsidy Control Act 2022 context described in DESNZ Assessment — Scope Referred.

Advisory Conciliation and Arbitration Service (Acas)appeals authoritynational

Legal basis: Defined in Definitions; functions described in AR8 Fair Work Charter dispute resolution and AR8 Fair Work Charter Dispute Resolution Process.

Ofgemappeals authoritynational

Legal basis: The document identifies Ofgem as the Tier 2 appeal body; Regulation 49 amendments would also clarify pending status before possible appeal to the High Court or Court of Session. The document states Ofgem is referred to as the Authority in the Allocation Regulations and hears Tier 2 qualification appeals.

8Process & Timeline

Process Stages

1. Publication of CIB allocation framework and indicative budget notice — The Secretary of State issues the draft allocation framework and an indicative CIB budget no later than 10 working days before the CIB allocation process begins (paragraph 16.2).2. Pre-window intention notice and portal setup — Within 5 working days before the opening of the CIB application window, eligible generators contact DESNZ indicating their intention to submit a CIB application so DESNZ can set up a secure online portal (paragraph 4.3).3. CIB application window — Eligible generators submit one CIB application per project, using the prescribed documentary format, during a 7 working day application window (paragraphs 4.2, 4.4, 4.6, 4.7). Lower-trust timeline documents indicate AR8 opening on 13 May 2026 and closing on 21 May 2026.4. Completeness and clarification handling — During the application window DESNZ may notify applicants of material omissions and may consider further information supplied during the window or within two working days after requested additional information; applicants should respond to clarification requests within one working day (paragraphs 4.8-4.9, 10.5).5. Assessment of minimum standards and scoring of extra proposals — DESNZ assesses whether minimum standards have been met and assigns scores to submitted CIB extra proposals following closure of the application window (sections 8 and 13).6. Initial review by DESNZ — Eligible generators may ask DESNZ to review the assessment within 2 working days of receiving it; DESNZ must return its decision within 2 working days (paragraph 14.2).7. Dispute body review — If still disputed, the applicant may request DESNZ to convene an expert panel ('dispute body'); the dispute body decides on written submissions and notifies its recommendation within 5 working days, subject to extension if necessary (paragraphs 14.4-14.15).8. Final budget notice — The Secretary of State issues the final CIB budget notice 25 working days after the CIB application window closing date (paragraph 16.3).9. Ranking and primary allocation of CIB budget — Eligible CIB extra proposals are ranked by normalised score and the regular budget and FLOW sub-budget are allocated simultaneously in rank order (sections 15 and 17).10. Release of CIB Statements or refusal notices — Successful applicants receive a Secretary of State CIB Statement confirming minimum standards compliance and which extra proposals have been awarded CIBs; unsuccessful applicants receive a refusal notice (section 18). To qualify for the CfD Allocation Round, applicants provide the CIB Statement to NESO and LCCC. Lower-trust timeline documents indicate AR8 CIB results by end June 2026 and within 35 working days.11. Post-CfD award update and amended CIB Statement — After CfD allocation results, project-level CIB Statements are updated to specify successful CfD units and assignment of extra proposals, based on information the applicant must supply within 5 working days of CfD notification (paragraph 6.6; paragraph 18.4). After a project is awarded a CfD, the Generator is contractually required to deliver the CIB commitments set out in the CIB Statement.12. Secondary allocation trigger decision — If budget remains due to capacity lost through the CfD auction, DESNZ confirms within 30 working days of CfD notifications whether the secondary allocation process has been triggered (paragraphs 19.1-19.4).13. Secondary allocation resubmission and award — Qualifying eligible generators may resubmit previously unsuccessful extra proposals, subject to the rules in section 19, and remaining budget is allocated among eligible resubmitted proposals (paragraphs 19.5-19.14).14. DESNZ monitoring process — Once a Generator has entered into a CfD, DESNZ begins the CIB monitoring process to gather information on delivery of minimum standards and any CIB extra proposals (section 5.1).15. Regular monitoring meetings — DESNZ holds regular monitoring meetings at least twice a year; dates are agreed at the first session and meetings continue until an application for a CIB Implementation Statement has been issued or refused (sections 8.1-8.3).16. Application for CIB Implementation Statement — After Milestone Delivery Date, the Generator applies for an Implementation Statement, per CfD unit where relevant, submitting required evidence and confidentiality markings (sections 5.2, 10.1-10.13).17. DESNZ assessment of implementation evidence — DESNZ checks whether obligations in the CIB Statement have been met and the veracity of submitted evidence; DESNZ aims to assess submitted documentation within 20 working days of receipt (sections 10.16-10.17).18. Corrective action and extension period if granted — If a financial minimum standard or extra proposal has not been delivered by the CfD Start Date, the Secretary of State may grant up to 6 months after Start Date for corrective action where a credible rectification plan is evidenced; no extension if the CfD has been terminated (sections 10.19-10.20, 10.23-10.26).19. Secretary of State decision on CIB Implementation Statement — The Secretary of State issues or refuses the CIB Implementation Statement, stating the extent to which minimum standards and extra proposals have been met and any resulting payments or performance adjustments (sections 5.3-5.4, 10.18, 10.24-10.25, 11.11, 11.13.5).20. LCCC payment or deduction through CfD mechanism — LCCC releases CIB payments or applies performance related adjustments through the CfD payment mechanism once the Secretary of State’s decision has been made (sections 5.3-5.4, 11.4, 12.1-12.2).21. Referral — DESNZ referred the proposed CfD Clean Industry Bonus AR8 scheme to the CMA Subsidy Advice Unit for review.22. Third-party submissions — Third-party submissions invited during the SAU reporting period.23. SAU report publication — Publication of the SAU report is scheduled following the reporting period.24. Request to become a Fair Work Charter signatory — Employers and TUC-affiliated trade unions can become signatories by submitting a request to DESNZ at renewablecibs@energysecurity.gov.uk; the email should come from an individual with sufficient authority to commit the organisation.25. DESNZ checks signatory request and registers signatory — Upon receiving trade union requests, DESNZ checks that the union is TUC-affiliated; once an organisation signs up, DESNZ adds it to the register of signatories.26. Register publication, redaction and confidential sharing — The register is made public on GOV.UK subject to stated redaction exceptions before CfD results; DESNZ also shares certain signatory information confidentially under a two-way NDA with trade union signatories and Acas.27. Employer prepares Fair Work Charter statement — Employer signatories prepare and publish on their website an 'FWC Statement' describing actions to deliver FWC commitments; the statement is prepared in consultation with relevant trade unions, updated no more than once per calendar year unless a material change occurs, and developers should publish after AR8 results are made public due to auction sensitivity.28. Implementation evidence and monitoring — Implementation is evidenced at company level via FWC Statements and Voluntary Access Agreements; DESNZ maintains a database of Voluntary Access Agreements and a register of FWC signatories, while trade unions monitor implementation through existing activities and engagement.29. Direct bilateral engagement on implementation issues — Parties should endeavour to resolve issues bilaterally before raising dispute applications; evidence must be provided that the employer and trade union have been unable to resolve the issue through direct engagement.30. Dispute resolution application to the Secretary of State — A trade union or employer signatory may make a dispute resolution application to the Secretary of State using a standardised short-form application template if the admissibility criteria are met.31. Admissibility determination and referral to Acas — Within 2 working days of receiving a dispute resolution application, the Secretary of State determines whether the application is admissible and, if so, requests the use of Acas dispute resolution services.32. Acas initial assessment and conciliator appointment — Within 2 working days of receiving a request from the Secretary of State, Acas appoints a collective conciliator, contacts the employer and union, and decides whether the matter is a trade dispute, whether direct engagement should occur first, or whether Acas assistance is appropriate.33. Conciliation — The conciliator seeks to meet both parties, physically or digitally as appropriate, to help them reach an agreeable resolution; if resolved, no further action is taken, and if unresolved, Acas provides a brief summary of the outstanding disputed issues.34. Arbitration — If conciliation does not resolve the dispute, the parties agree to request that Acas appoint an independent arbitrator; Acas endeavours to appoint the arbitrator within 5 working days, the parties submit requested evidence within 5 working days, and the arbitrator sends a written award within 21 days of the hearing.35. Final evidence submission after recommended actions — Following an arbitrator recommendation of actions, the Secretary of State requests final evidence from both complainant and counterparty to ascertain whether the recommended actions have occurred; both parties must submit evidence no later than 15 working days after receiving the recommendation unless the arbitrator recommends another deadline.36. Secretary of State decision on breach or no further action — Within 5 working days of the deadline to submit evidence, the Secretary of State may notify the parties that no further action will be taken or that the counterparty is in breach of the FWC and is to be removed as a signatory.37. Possible regaining of signatory status — Following removal, the Secretary of State may decide that the party regains signatory status if it provides evidence of action taken to ensure compliance and evidence that it has remained compliant with the FWC for a period of 60 days.38. Legislation laid — Legislation for CIB AR8 reforms to be laid in February 2026 (Section: Implementation Timeline).39. CfD AR8 auction opens — CfD AR8 auction opens in July 2026.40. Application window — AR8 will open to applications after the legislative amendments and Contract Allocation Framework updates are in place; the Government aims to have regulations in force before AR8 opens to applications.41. NESO assessment of CfD applications — Under 'Correcting Delivery Body errors at the assessment stage', NESO assesses CfD applications and may make qualification decisions and non-qualification determinations under regulation 19.42. Qualification or non-qualification determination — Following assessment, applicants receive a determination notice; the document refers to 'a determination notice under regulation 19' and to 'new or amended non-qualification determination' where Delivery Body errors are corrected.43. Tier 1 review / appeal to NESO — Applicants may request a non-qualification review (Tier 1 appeal). Regulation 20 is to be amended to allow applicants to submit additional documentary evidence and information with Tier 1 reviews, where types are specified in the Contract Allocation Framework.44. Tier 2 appeal to Ofgem — The current two-tier appeal mechanism will be retained. After a Tier 1 decision, an applicant may submit a Tier 2 appeal to Ofgem.45. Judicial appeal status and pending application treatment — Under the proposed amendment to Regulation 49, 'pending applicants' would include applicants with unresolved Tier 2 appeals, applicants whose Tier 2 appeal was unsuccessful but whose timeframe to appeal in the High Court or Court of Session has not expired, and applicants with an undetermined High Court or Court of Session appeal.46. Sealed bid window — The identified categories of pending applicants would be allowed to submit a sealed bid during the sealed bid window (a 'pending bid').47. Proceed notice and re-run / halt direction window — Under proposed changes to Regulation 51, if an applicant becomes qualifying after the proceed notice has been given but before CfD notifications have been sent, and if the Secretary of State does not issue a re-run direction or a halt direction in the 2 day window following the proceed notice, the Delivery Body must determine whether the pending application would have been successful had it participated in the allocation process.48. CfD notifications — The document refers to the point 'before CFD notifications have been sent' in describing how pending applications are to be handled after a proceed notice.49. Consultation on AR8 and future-round refinements — DESNZ consults on proposed changes to the CfD scheme intended for AR8 and future rounds, including offshore-wind-related contract and eligibility changes.50. Government analysis and response — After the consultation closes, Government will analyse responses and publish a response summarising stakeholder views and setting out decisions taken.51. Implementation of legislative and contract changes — Subject to consultation outcomes and, where relevant, Parliamentary approval of amending regulations, the Government proposes to amend the Allocation Regulations, Contract Allocation Framework, CfD Agreement, Standard Terms and Conditions, and related templates/Standard Terms Notice for AR8.52. Publication before AR8 application opening — Final changes would be published before AR8 opens to applications; the Standard Terms Notice must be published before an allocation round starts. A lower-trust manifest also says the final Allocation Framework, Budget Notice, and final contracts are expected in April-May 2026 once the CIB regulatory statutory instrument comes into force.53. CfD results publication — Auction results / statement of bidders are expected in August-September 2026.

Timeline Events

16 Feb 2026draft freeze / minor-clarification threshold[Department for Energy Security and Net Zero]— From 16/02/2026, any changes made to the draft document will be purely to correct errors or provide minor clarifications; the document remains in draft until the underlying legislation has been approved by parliament.

1 Jan 2025earliest eligible investment date— Any investment made as part of a CIB proposal must have been made after 1 January 2025 and before the eligible generator's relevant CfD expected Start Date (paragraph 5.11).

—indicative CIB budget notice deadlinerelative_to_application_window[Secretary of State]— Indicative CIB budget to be issued when the Allocation Framework is published, no later than 10 working days before the CIB allocation process begins (paragraph 16.2).

—application window durationrelative_to_application_window[Secretary of State]— The CIB application window will be open for 7 working days (paragraph 4.6).

—final CIB budget notice deadlinerelative_to_application_window[Secretary of State]— Final CIB budget notice to be issued 25 working days after the CIB application window closing date (paragraph 16.3).

—CIB results release deadlinerelative_to_application_window[Department for Energy Security and Net Zero]— CIB results will be released no more than 35 working days after the last day of the application window (paragraph 4.6).

1 Jan 2026CIB revenue support indexation startmonth_anchored_to_first_day— Any revenue support allocated to eligible generators will be indexed from January 2026 (paragraph 20.3).

1 Apr 2027indexed CIB payment startmonth_anchored_to_first_day— Indexation will be applied to revenue support payments starting in April 2027 (paragraph 20.3).

18 Mar 2026referral made[Department for Energy Security and Net Zero]— Key Dates table: 'Referral made; reporting period begins'.

31 Mar 2026third party submission deadline[Subsidy Advice Unit (Competition and Markets Authority)]— Key Dates table: 'Third-party submission deadline'.

30 Apr 2026sau report publication scheduled[Subsidy Advice Unit (Competition and Markets Authority)]— SAU report publication scheduled for 30 April 2026.

4 Mar 2026consultation version published— AR8 2nd consultation version, dated 4 March 2026; includes changes consulted on in December 2025.

24 Jul 2025standard terms issued[Secretary of State]— These standard terms and conditions applicable to FiT Contracts for Difference were issued by the Secretary of State on 24 July 2025 in accordance with section 11(1) of the EA 2013 (Preliminary (A)).

—anticipated commencement of new statutory rights and dutiesmonth— These new steps are intended to prepare workplaces for the new statutory rights and duties anticipated to come into effect in October 2026.

23 Aug 2025consultation opened[Department for Energy Security and Net Zero (DESNZ)]— Consultation period opened (document header).

6 Oct 2025consultation closed[Department for Energy Security and Net Zero (DESNZ)]— Consultation period closed (document header).

—government response publishedmonth[Department for Energy Security and Net Zero (DESNZ)]— Government response published in February 2026 (document header).

—legislation laidmonth[Department for Energy Security and Net Zero (DESNZ)]— Legislation laid in February 2026 (Section: Implementation Timeline).

13 May 2026application window open[Department for Energy Security and Net Zero (DESNZ)]— CIB AR8 application window opens (indicative); status at capture also noted 'CIB window opens ~13 May 2026'.

21 May 2026round close[Department for Energy Security and Net Zero (DESNZ)]— CIB AR8 round closes (indicative) (Section: Implementation Timeline).

—results releasedmonth[Department for Energy Security and Net Zero (DESNZ)]— CIB results released by end June 2026; status at capture also noted 'results end June 2026 (CIB)'.

—auction openmonth[Department for Energy Security and Net Zero (DESNZ)]— CfD AR8 auction opens in July 2026; status at capture also noted 'CfD auction opens July 2026'.

16 Dec 2025consultation published[Department for Energy Security and Net Zero]— The Government published the consultation 'Consultation on proposed refinements for Allocation Round 8 and future rounds' on 16 December 2025.

30 Jan 2026consultation closed[Department for Energy Security and Net Zero]— The consultation on proposed refinements for Allocation Round 8 and future rounds closed on 30 January 2026.

14 Jan 2026government announcement offshore wind awards[Department for Energy Security and Net Zero]— The document states that on 14 January 2026 the Government announced that a record 8.4GW of new offshore wind had been secured in the UK’s and Europe’s biggest ever offshore wind auction.

10 Feb 2026government announcement additional clean power awards[Department for Energy Security and Net Zero]— The document states that on 10 February 2026 the Government announced that it had secured an additional 6.2GW of new onshore wind, solar and tidal stream projects.

21 Apr 2026status at capture— Status at capture: Pre-launch.

—final documents expectedmonth_range[Department for Energy Security and Net Zero (DESNZ)]— Final Allocation Framework, Budget Notice, and final contracts are expected in April–May 2026 once the CIB regulatory statutory instrument comes into force.

—CfD results expectedmonth_range— Documents not yet available table: 'Auction Results / Statement of Bidders' expected August–September 2026.

9Market Context

Policy Targets in Force at Open

UK offshore wind capacity target50 GWby 2030

UK floating offshore wind target5 GWby 2030

Clean Power 2030 missionby 2030

Regime Events

SI 2025/903 amending Regulation 54(3)statutory instrument amendment

Sustainable Industry Rewards Regulations 2024statutory instrument

Jan 2026AR7 results publicationresults publication

Feb 2026AR7a results publicationresults publication

Mar 2026LCCC AR7 contract signingcontract signing

Dec 2024Clean Power 2030 Action Planpolicy plan publication

Jan 2025Employment Rights Act 2025legislation in force

NESO Connections Reform (Gate 2 to Whole Queue process)regulatory reform

Apr 2026AR8 CIB regulatory-reforms statutory instrumentstatutory instrument in force

Mar 2026Government announcement bringing AR8 forwardround acceleration announcement

Invalid DateAR8 Chapter 5 scheme-efficiency statutory instrumentstatutory instrument in force

Invalid DateAR8 CIB contract-amendments statutory instrumentstatutory instrument in force

Apr 2026CMA SAU AR8 CIB Reportscheme scrutiny report

Narrative ReferenceAR8 is being launched into a more confident market than AR7: AR7’s 8.4 GW offshore-wind result (14 January 2026), AR7a’s 6.2 GW non-offshore-wind result (10 February 2026), and LCCC’s AR7 contract signing milestone (25 March 2026) reduced immediate procurement pressure and helped DESNZ bring AR8 forward from autumn to July 2026 under the Clean Power 2030 mission. The round opens against enduring 2030 policy targets of 50 GW offshore wind and 5 GW floating offshore wind, with a pipeline spanning Crown Estate Round 4, Celtic Sea Round 5, ScotWind and INTOG, and with first potential ODOW participation. Its launch conditions are also shaped by the CIB statutory base, SI 2025/903 bid-visibility rules, Employment Rights Act 2025 / Fair Work Charter context, NESO Connections Reform, and the AR8-specific statutory instruments and CMA SAU CIB scrutiny scheduled around spring 2026.

Cross-Axis Structures

Financial Parameter Links

Administrative Strike Price

Axis 2 bid capTechnology-specific maximum bid price (£/MWh) on the main CfD track, to be published in the AR8 Pot and Price Notice.

CIB minimum-standard investment threshold

>= £100m/GW for fixed-bottom offshore wind or >= £50m/GW for floating offshore wind

Axis 3 gate

IGP Delivery Body contribution

>= £10m/GW mandatory contribution to the OWGP as IGP Delivery Body

Axis 3 gate

CIB Minimum Standard Performance Amount cap

Max = SP × MO

Schedule 2 caps the CIB Minimum Standard Performance Amount by Strike Price times Metered Output for the instalment interval, linking CfD price/output parameters to CIB non-performance liability.

Relationships & Sources

Preceded By2 auctions

Upstream Leasing Rounds3

Source Documents14 documents