Instrument (SI) 2006 No. 1004) The Renewables Obligation (Scotland) Order 2006 (SI 2006 No. 173), and The Renewables Obligation Order (Northern Ireland) 2006 (SI 2006 No. 56). All pieces of legislation are published on the National Archives legislation site. Ofgem's role Ofgem is the Office of Gas and Electricity Markets in Great Britain. The Orders detail Ofgem's powers and functions to administer the Renewables Obligation. These functions include: Accrediting generating stations as being capable of generating electricity from eligible renewable sources Issuing ROCs and revoking these as necessary Establishing and maintaining a Register of ROCs Monitoring compliance with the requirements of the Orders Calculating annually the buy-out price Receiving buy-out payments and redistributing the buy-out fund Receiving late payments and redistributing the late payment fund, and Publishing an annual report on the operation of and compliance with the requirements of the Orders. Ofgem also administers the Northern Ireland Renewables Obligation (NIRO) on behalf of the Northern Ireland Authority for Energy Regulation (NIAER). Types of energy eligible The following sources of electricity are eligible for ROCs: Biogas from anaerobic digestion Biomass Combined Heat and Power (CHP) Hydro electric Tidal power Wind power Photovoltaic cells Landfill gas Sewage gas Wave power Co-firing of biomass is also eligible. Not all technologies which are eligible will actually be supported due to cost. Some renewable sources of electricity are not eligible for ROCs (e.g. larger hydroelectric schemes which were in operation before April 2002). Government review The obligation was reviewed by government following a consultation period that finished in September 2007. The document at the centre of the consultation set out an amended form of the RO which will see different technologies earn different numbers of ROCs. This has not yet been adopted as policy. On 22 January 2007, Ofgem called for the Renewables Obligation to be replaced, claiming that the scheme is a 'very costly way' of supporting renewable electricity generation. In particular they are concerned that electricity customers pay for renewables projects even if they are not built due to problems obtaining planning permission, and the failure of the Renewables Obligation to link financial support for renewables to either the electricity price or the price of renewables in the European Union Emissions Trading Scheme. The British Wind Energy Association, whose members are major beneficiaries of the existing scheme, claims that Ofgem is partly responsible for the costs because it has failed to prioritise