Functions of the Authority
49.—(1) In addition to the functions assigned to it elsewhere in this Order, the Authority shall have the following specific functions—
(a)keeping, maintaining and making available to the public a list of generating stations granted preliminary accreditation and accreditation in accordance with Article 50, together with any applicable conditions attached to the preliminary accreditation or accreditation;
(b)keeping and maintaining a list of NIROCs which have been revoked and making such list available to the public;
(c)calculating and publishing before the start of each obligation period (with the exception of the first obligation period to which this Order relates) the sum which corresponds to a NIROC for that period by virtue of Article 40(4);
(d)publishing from time to time during an obligation period the total NIROC claim for that period;
(e)by the 1st April each year publishing a report in relation to the obligation period ending on the 31st March in the previous calendar year (“the relevant period”), such report to include details (or, in the case of paragraph (v), a summary) of—
(i)the compliance of each designated electricity supplier with his renewables obligation for the relevant period, including the extent to which that obligation was met by the production renewables obligation certificates pursuant to Article 5(2), payments made under Article 40 or the production of GBROCs pursuant to Article 13(1) or treated as met by payments made under Article 41;
(ii)the sums received by each United Kingdom supplier under Article 44 in relation to the relevant period;
(iii)the number of NIROCs issued by the Authority, the number of NIROCs accepted by it under Article 5(2), the number of GBROCs accepted by it under Article 13(1) and the number of NIROCs issued but not yet deleted from the Register in respect of the relevant period;
(iv)the number of NIROCs issued by the Authority in relation to the relevant period categorized by reference to the ways in which the electricity in respect of which the NIROCs were issued was generated;
(v)the outcome of any enquiries or investigations conducted by the Authority pursuant to sub-paragraph (f) in relation to the relevant period; and
(vi)any other matters which the Authority considers relevant in relation to the relevant period;
(f)monitoring compliance with this Order by designated electricity suppliers and operators of generating stations (including compliance by operators of generating stations with any conditions attached to their accreditation) and such monitoring may include conducting enquiries or investigations into—
(i)the amount of electricity generated from renewable sources by accredited generating stations;
(ii)the amount of such electricity supplied to customers in Northern Ireland;
(iii)the transfer and holding of NIROCs (including the transfer and holding of NIROCs issued to agents by virtue of Article 33);
(iv)the effect of such matters on the making and allocation of payments under Articles 40, 41, and 44; and
(v)the effect of the renewables obligation on the activities and operations of designated electricity suppliers and the operators of generating stations;
(g)publishing at its discretion reports of enquiries or investigations conducted by the Authority pursuant to sub-paragraph (f); and
(h)the provision of such information to the Great Britain authority as the Authority considers may be relevant to the exercise of the Great Britain authority’s functions under any GBRO Order.
(2) In this Article “total NIROC claim” means the total number of NIROCs which have been claimed in respect of a particular obligation period, less—
(a)the number of NIROCs which have been issued in respect of that obligation period; and
(b)the number of NIROCs which the Authority has, in respect of that obligation period, decided not to issue or refused to issue under Article 37 or 46(4).