ENERGY BILL
The purpose of the bill is to:
- Help the UK to ensure secure supplies of energy, tackle climate change and target fuel poverty measures more effectively.
The main benefits of the bill are:
- Strengthening the market framework to help ensure secure and affordable energy supplies;
- Encouraging a diverse, secure supply of electricity while at the same time reducing our carbon dioxide emissions. This will help the UK make further progress towards reducing carbon dioxide emissions by at least 60% by 2050 relative to 1990 levels.
The main elements of the bill are:
- Offshore gas supply infrastructure - strengthening the regulatory framework to enable private sector investment to help maintain reliable supplies of gas given we expect to rely on imports to meet up to 80% of demand by 2020;
- Carbon Capture and Storage (CCS) - creating a regulatory framework to enable private sector investment in CCS projects. CCS has the potential to reduce the carbon emissions from fossil fuel power stations by up to 90%.
- Renewables- strengthening the Renewables Obligation to drive greater and more rapid deployment of renewables in the UK.
- Fuel Poverty - helping energy supply companies to better target their efforts to reduce fuel poverty;
- Nuclear waste and decommissioning financing (on a contingent basis subject to the current consultation) If we decide it is in the public interest to allow private sector investment in new nuclear power stations, the bill will create a framework that will help protect the taxpayer by requiring owners or operators of a new nuclear power station to make financial provisions to cover the full decommissioning costs and their full share of waste management costs..
The Bill would apply to:
- The provisions in this Bill are a mixture of devolved and reserved matters. The Government will work closely with the Devolved Administrations on the responsibilities they have in this area.
Related Documents:
Existing Legislation in this area is:
- Petroleum Acts 1987 and 1998;
- Gas Act 1986;
- Electricity Act 1989;
- Utilities Act 2000;
- Energy Act 2004;
- Warm Homes and Energy Conservation Act 2000,
- Climate Change and Sustainable Energy Act 2006.
Comments:
If you have any comments on the draft programme or individual bill being proposed, you can email them to:
legislation@commonsleader.x.gsi.gov.uk
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