The Energy Act 2010 (c. 27) is an act of the

Parliament of the United Kingdom The Parliament of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is the supreme legislative body of the United Kingdom, and may also legislate for the Crown Dependencies and the British Overseas Territories. It meets at the Palace ...

pertaining to the regulation of energy usage and markets, with amendments to similar pieces of previous legislation. The act was granted

royal assent Royal assent is the method by which a monarch formally approves an act of the legislature, either directly or through an official acting on the monarch's behalf. In some jurisdictions, royal assent is equivalent to promulgation, while in othe ...

on 8 April 2010 along with a series of other bills during the

wash-up period {{Use dmy dates, date=April 2022 The wash-up period is the last few days while a Parliament of the United Kingdom continues to sit after the Prime Minister has announced the date when Parliament will be dissolved so a general election can be held ...

prior to the 2010 general election.

History

House of Commons

Introduced by

Ed Miliband Edward Samuel Miliband (born 24 December 1969) is a British politician who has served as Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero since July 2024. He has been Member of Parliament (United Kingdom), Member of Parliament (MP) for D ...

MP, the then-

Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change The secretary of state for energy and climate change was a British Government cabinet position from 2008 to 2016. The Department of Energy and Climate Change was created on 3 October 2008 when then-Prime Minister Gordon Brown reshuffled his Cabi ...

, the Energy Bill had its first reading on 19 November 2009.Bill stages – Energy Bill 2009-10
''UK Parliament'' Retrieved 17 May 2010 On 7 December of the same year, the Bill received its second reading and first debate, during which the Labour Party and the Liberal Democrats agreed on the continuation of the Energy Bill to become law, while facing opposition from the Conservative Party. While Miliband received questions over grid access, gas storage, and the Government's support of the European "super-grid," the Bill was passed to the committee stage.

Legislation

The Energy Act 2010 is subdivided into four parts: carbon capture storage and regulation, schemes for reducing fuel poverty, regulations of gas and electricity markets, and final provisions.Energy Act 2010: Contents
''Office of Public Sector Information'' Retrieved 13 May 2010 Each of these parts contains a number of sections and clauses, with a total of 39 sections throughout the act.

Carbon capture energy and storage

Part one of the Act details the powers of the

to provide funding for carbon capture and storage (CCS) projects, at the same time being allowed to withhold or cease funding CCS demonstrations.Energy Act 2010: Part 1
''Office of Public Sector Information'' Retrieved 13 May 2010 There are also provisions for the Secretary of State to impose a "supply levy" upon those who use supplies of electricity. Further, section five requires that the Secretary of State provide a report every three years on the state of both decarbonising electricity and the development of new carbon capturing technologies.

References

{{Authority control United Kingdom Acts of Parliament 2010 Energy in the United Kingdom Environmental law in the United Kingdom 2010 in the environment Energy law