The UK government has officially opened the application window for the latest round of its flagship Contracts for Difference (CfD) scheme, aimed at accelerating the transition to clean energy and strengthening the country’s energy security.
The AR7 application window runs from 7 August to 27 August 2025, with eligible developers invited to submit applications via NESO’s EMR CfD Portal.
The timeline for AR7 may follow one of five potential scenarios, depending on whether appeals are lodged after the assessment of applications. Key dates include:
- 28 August – 26 September 2025: NESO will assess all CfD applications against the relevant qualification criteria.
- 26 September 2025: Applicants will be notified of the qualification outcomes.
- 29 September – 3 October 2025: Window for applicants to request a review of non-qualification decisions.
- By 17 October 2025: Outcomes of review requests will be communicated.
Sealed bids can be submitted between 21–27 October 2025 under the shortest possible timeline set by the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero (DESNZ). If appeals are made, the auction could be delayed, with bidding taking place as late as 5–9 January 2026.
CfD allocation results are expected between 9-10 December 2025 at the earliest and 25-26 February 2026 at the latest, depending on which scenario the round follows.
Since its inception, the CfD scheme - along with its predecessor investment contracts — has already delivered 10 gigawatts (GW) of operational renewable energy capacity, with an additional 23GW contracted to become operational by 2030.
Regular updates on AR7 will be published on the CfD scheme’s official website as the round progresses.
Source: 4C Offshore
