Sources in the renewable industry suggest that analysis by the Renewable Heat Association for NI (RHANI) has called into question calculations by the Department for the Economy surrounding the costs of the Renewable Heat Incentive (RHI).

The RHANI’s projected figure for RHI overspend is understood to be well below £100m over the 20 years of the scheme. It is a figure nowhere near the £490m as previously calculated by the Department for the Economy, and which caused intense media furore and, ultimately, brought the Government at Stormont to a halt.

The reduced cost is reportedly due to the department including costs for combined heat and power plants in their original calculations, which are actually ineligible for the RHI.

Also, the use of allowances for inflation over 20 years, instead of using net present value.