Symbio Energy could face a financial penalty over its failure to meet the renewables obligation (RO) and feed-in-tariff (FIT) deadlines, Ofgem has confirmed.
Although the Watford-based supplier has made all outstanding payments it is being investigated over its failure to pay its obligations on time.
The disruptor brand was listed as owing more than £500,000 in RO payments last year, having missed the deadline to present RO certificates (ROCs) by 1 September and failing to pay into the buy-out fund by 31 August. It further failed to meet the 31 October late payment deadline.
Ofgem issued a final order to the retailer on 28 October, this was subsequently revoked when a belated payment was made on 13 November.
Additionally, Symbio failed to meet three other payment deadlines over a four-month period for the government’s environmental schemes including one RO mutualisation payment to cover the shortfall of the previous year.
Two feed-in-tariff quarterly levelisation payments were also missed.
Ofgem said the opening of the investigation demonstrates that it takes compliance with the FIT and RO “seriously” and that not making payments on time is “unacceptable”.
“The investigation will consider whether further enforcement action is required, which could include a financial penalty”, the regulator added.
Two other suppliers, Nabuh and Robin Hood, were also subject to final orders and listed as owing money to the regulator.
Nabuh was shown as owing more than £2.6 million while Robin Hood, which has sold its customers to Centrica, owed more than £12 million in both RO and FIT payments. Ofgem declined to say whether more investigations are planned when approached by Utility Week.
Last month Utility Week reported that the regulator was unable to pursue 10 energy suppliers owing more than £17.8 million in RO payments because they have either ceased trading or gone into administration. Where appropriate, the regulator says it will seek to recover outstanding payments through their administrators.