EAI welcomes the opportunity to respond to the consultation on RESS 2 terms and conditions. Overall, EAI is supportive of the proposals put forward however, EAI is concerned about the timelines for the overall RESS scheme.
Based on the original scheme decision, the first three auctions would have been held by the end of 2021 whereas under these proposals only one auction will have been held by then. The reasons for these delays are not clear to us or to the wider public and there is a risk that confidence in the scheme is diminished or that investor capital goes elsewhere.
To address the delays in auctions timelines, EAI suggests that RESS 2 volumes should be significantly increased from the original scheme decision. This can be done prudently in conjunction with the competition assessment metrics which the CRU monitors ahead of each auction.