About Energy Intensive Industries (EII)
What is the Energy Intensive Industry (EII) exemption?
To make sure the UK meets its low carbon targets, the Government has introduced several policies that are driving renewable growth. However, they’ve also increased the cost of electricity and made UK prices higher than in other countries.
To help EIIs in the UK compete with their EU counterparts, the Government suggested they should be exempt from some Third-Party Charges (TPCs). The cost of the exemption would be paid for through an increase in costs for non-EII businesses.
The Government proposed that EIIs should be exempt from the costs of the Renewable Obligations (RO) scheme, the Contracts for Difference (CfD) scheme and the Feed in Tariff (FiT) scheme.
What are EIIs?
EIIs include sectors such as the steel, chemicals, engineering and brick making industries, in which energy usage makes up a significant part of production costs.
More information is available on gov.uk, including a list of designated EIIs and the qualification rules.
How will EIIs benefit from the exemptions?
The Department of Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS) expects the measures to benefit over 130 heavy users, saving them around £100m a year in energy costs. The total energy exempt volume will be around 10 TWh per annum.
What are third-party costs (TPCS)?
TPCs are the non-energy elements of your bill that relate to:
running the electricity network efficiently
paying organisations involved in its running
government policies
incentivising renewables.
When did the new rates come into effect?
The department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS) published its revised RO levels for 2018-19, confirming that the exemption to some costs for EII customers from 1 April 2018.
What does the EII exemption mean for my business?
Under the terms of your contract, we reserve the right to pass through these legislative charges. While Shell Energy does all that it can to absorb unforeseen changes in energy costs, in this instance we have no option but to continue to pass on these costs to you if you are a non-EII customer.
What will show on my bill?
If the charges are applicable to your business, they’ll be added into your unit rate (as of 1st April 2018).
What if my business is a microbusiness?
EII charges will not apply if you’re a microbusiness. Ofgem defines a microbusiness as:
A non-domestic consumer is defined by Ofgem as a micro-business if it meets one of the following criteria:
employs fewer than 10 employees (or their full time equivalent) and has an annual turnover or balance sheet no greater than €2 million; or
uses no more than 100,000 kWh of electricity per year; or
uses no more than 293,000 kWh of gas per year.
Where can I find more information on EII exemption?
For more information, please visit gov.uk.