Contracts for Difference: Contract amendments to implement Clean Industry Bonus reforms

Overview

We are proposing amendments to the Contracts for Difference contract, specifically the amendments required to implement the Clean Industry Bonus (CIB) AR8 changes.

The CIB works within the Contracts for Difference mechanism to competitively allocate extra revenue support (‘a bonus’) to offshore wind and floating offshore wind applicants who take meaningful action to increase the social, environmental and economic sustainability of the supply chain. Successful generators will be subject to the conditions and rules set out in the CIB Allocation Framework, CIB Guidance and the CfD contract.

We committed to build on the early successes of the CIB and in order to deliver on this, we consulted between August and October 2025 on regulatory reforms to the CIB scheme ahead of Allocation Round 8. The government response to that consultation was published on 4 February and in order to implement some of the positions provided by the response, we are proposing changes that need to be made to the CfD contract. These changes relate to implementing:

• Workforce protection measures for offshore wind through a Fair Work Charter.
• Skills investment criteria.
• Onshore wind into the CIB for AR9.
• Process improvements so that the scheme continues to function as effectively as possible.

This consultation will also consult on hybrid metering contract changes which is not a CIB-specific contract amendment but a wider CfD amendment.

The proposed drafting changes are shown as tracked amendments to the contract which we have published here alongside the consultation document. We are also publishing CfD Phased Agreements (both single metering and apportioned), CfD Generic Agreements, CfD Private Network Agreements and CfD Unincorporated Joint Venture Agreements as some of the contract changes consulted on in this consultation may have implications that require proposed changes to be made to those documents too.

We welcome responses from anyone with an interest in the proposals, in particular those considering participating in the CIB ahead of Allocation Round 8.

Once the consultation has closed, we will work to publish a government response and final version of the contract prior to opening the CIB round.

Please direct any queries on the consultation to: renewableCIBs@energysecurity.gov.uk

Read the consultation and related documents on GOV.UK:

• Consultation document
• Website link consultation document
• CfD STCs with tracked changes
• CfD Generic Agreement
• CfD Phase 1 Apportioned Metering Agreement
• CfD Phase 2 Apportioned Metering Agreement 
• CfD Phase 3 Apportioned Metering Agreement
• CfD Phase 1 Single Metering Agreement
• CfD Phase 2 Single Metering Agreement
• CfD Phase 3 Single Metering Agreement
• CfD Private Network Agreement
• CfD Unincorporated Joint Venture Agreement