DECC has published the ROC Banding Review stating changes to subsidies for renewable energy technologies for the period 2013-17 following a recent consultation process. Overall, support for the waste sector is better than expected considering the bandings initially proposed. EfW & CHP will receive 1ROC and standard Pyrolysis and Gasification are in-line to receive 2ROCs despite the consultation document stating support of only 0.5ROCs. Landfill Gas also gets an improved array of bands providing greater overall support than was initially proposed.

However, the negative issue for the waste sector is the changes to support for Anaerobic Digestion. There were suggestions that AD with CHP might get an increase of 0.5ROCs, but this has not occurred. More drastically, support for new facilities under 0.5MW will be completely removed from 1 April 2013, pending a further consultation. This appears somewhat of a U-turn from the aims specified in the AD Strategy and Action Plan released last year which stated a wish for large quantities of smaller, regional AD plants and has taken the AD industry by surprise.