by Mathew Beech
Two of the big six energy suppliers are claiming they can meet their Carbon Emissions Reduction Target (Cert) obligations before the end of the year, but the rest look increasingly likely to fall short.
A spokesperson for Eon said the company was “absolutely on course” to meet its energy efficiency obligations. Npower said it had the “contracts in place” to meet its target but the outcome depended on market conditions.
The latest Ofgem figures reveal that between them, the big six have met just over one-third (39 per cent) of their super priority group (SPG) obligation with three months to go until the Cert deadline. The suppliers were faring better on their overall target, having fulfilled 87 per cent of the obligation.
By the end of March, Eon had met 62 per cent of its SPG target, while Npower had reached 47.6 per cent.
British Gas, which had met 20 per cent of its SPG obligation by March, said the target was “extremely stretching”.
EDF Energy (21.3 per cent), SSE (27.5 per cent), and Scottish Power (12.2 per cent) did not respond when asked by Utility Week how confident they were of hitting their targets.
Any company missing its target faces sanctions from Ofgem, including a potential fine of up to 10 per cent of turnover.
This article first appeared in Utility Week’s print edition of 28th September 2012.
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