The Energy Act (2008)

The Energy Act (2008) together with the Climate Change and Planning Acts, the Energy Act helps to provide the legislative basis for implementing low carbon energy.

The Act creates the legal framework for supporting new technologies, new requirements for security of supply infrastructure, and meeting the 2020 renewables targets. The measures include:

• Carbon capture and storage: Licensing of offshore CO₂ storage
• Renewables Obligation (RO): Introduction of ‘banding’, ie adjusting the number of ROCs awarded per unit installed capacity to reflect the relative cost of different technologies and increase the  financial incentive for the more  expensive ones
• Feed-in-tariffs: Financial support for renewable generation projects of up to 5MW will be introduced in 2010
• Renewable Heat Incentive: Financial support  mechanism for renewable heat  at all scales Offshore energy: Changes to regulation of electricity transmission and gas infrastructure
• Decommissioning: Strengthening regulation of decommissioning of nuclear, offshore renewables and oil and gas sites
• Smart meters: To be delivered by relevant licence holders

Further information is available from

• Department of Energy and Climate Change (DECC)
• www.decc.gov.uk/en/content/cms/legislation/energy_act_08/energy_act_08.aspx