On 15 October 2026 the government confirmed it will not apply the Pending Applications process to Allocation Round 8. The auction now runs on the standard timetable rather than an accelerated one. The reasons given were to support maximum competition, deliver value for money for consumers and give participants enough time to prepare their bids.
That settles the question the indicative timetable left open in September. AR8 is on the longest of its five branches, and results are now expected in February 2027, not before Christmas.
What happens on 19 November
Two documents are due on the same day.
- The Contract Budget Notice, from DESNZ, sets the initial budget for each pot. It is the starting point rather than the final figure: for pots 1 to 4, the budget can be increased later where an unsuccessful bid represents strong value for money.
- The Notice of Auction, from NESO as Delivery Body, confirms when the sealed bid window opens and closes.
The sealed bid window cannot open until the appeals process has concluded for every non-qualifying application. So until the Notice of Auction is published, every date after 19 November is indicative.
The indicative timetable from here
19 November is the Contract Budget Notice date in only one of the five scenarios in the indicative AR8 timetable: the one in which non-qualifying applicants take Tier 2 appeals to Ofgem. Its remaining steps are:
| Indicative date | Step |
|---|---|
| 22 Oct - 18 Nov 2026 | Ofgem considers qualification appeals |
| 19 Nov 2026 | Contract Budget Notice and Notice of Auction (confirmed) |
| 3 - 9 Dec 2026 | Sealed bid window |
| 21 Dec 2026 - 1 Feb 2027 | DESNZ sets budgets using bid stack information |
| 4 - 10 Feb 2027 | Allocation process runs, followed by independent audit |
| 15 - 17 Feb 2027 | Results published |
| 4 - 17 Mar 2027 | Contracts signed and returned to LCCC |
If the Notice of Auction moves the sealed bid window, the dates after it are likely to move with it.
What it means for bidders and buyers
For developers, the longer timetable means more time to firm up bids and supply chain pricing before the sealed bid window. For anyone watching prices, it means the first look at AR8 clearing prices comes around eleven weeks later than the fastest scenario would have allowed.
Bids will be made against administrative strike prices published in 2024 prices, unlike AR1 to AR7, which used 2012 prices. Any comparison with earlier rounds needs to account for that. Our explainer on CfD price bases covers why, and what seven rounds of results suggest about AR8 looks at how far below the ceiling earlier rounds cleared.
The AR8 tracker now shows the confirmed timetable and will be updated when the Notice of Auction sets the sealed bid dates.