17.—(1) Where a SROC, if issued, will be issued to an electricity supplier pursuant to article 15(4) or (5), the references in article 16(4) to the operator of the generating station shall be treated as references to that electricity supplier but article 16(4)(c) shall not apply.
(2) The Authority shall not issue a SROC–
(a)in respect of any electricity generated by a particular generating station in a particular month if it has previously issued a certificate under section 32B of the Act in respect of any such electricity other than under this Order, whether or not any such certificate previously issued has been revoked; or
(b)certifying the matters within section 32B(2A) of the Act, where the Northern Ireland Authority has notified the Authority that it is not satisfied that the electricity in question has been supplied to customers in Northern Ireland.
(3) The Authority may refuse to issue a SROC in any case where the Authority–
(a)except in the case of a SROC certifying matters within section 32B(2A) of the Act, considers that the declaration in article 16(4) is not accurate in relation to the electricity in respect of which the Authority is considering issuing the SROC; or
(b)except in the case of a SROC certifying the matters within section 32B(2A) of the Act, has reason to believe that the electricity in respect of which the Authority is considering issuing the SROC was consumed in circumstances which resulted in the electricity not having been supplied by an electricity supplier to customers in Great Britain; or
(c)is not satisfied that the operator of the generating station has, during the relevant month, complied with any condition to which accreditation of the relevant generating station is subject.
(4) For the purpose of article 16(3), where information regarding the fuel used by the generating station has originated at a separate location to that of the generating station, in determining whether the information is accurate and reliable the Authority may have regard to–
(a)the distance over which the fuel was transported;
(b)the conditions under which the fuel was prepared and transported;
(c)the resources required for the Authority to verify the accuracy and reliability of the information; and
(d)such other matters as it considers relevant.