The Energy Act 1976 (1976 chapter 76) is an Act of the

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which empowered the Secretary of State to control the production, supply, acquisition and use of fuels and electricity, and included measures for the conservation of fuels.

Background

The Fuel and Electricity (Control) Act 1973 had been enacted during the 1973 oil crisis, but had to be renewed annually. The Government thought it would be expedient to put these emergency powers on a permanent basis. The Energy Act 1976 enacted this provision and included a number of other energy related requirements. The Government wished to develop policies for the conservation of energy, and to comply with

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directives and enforce EEC (EU) regulations in the energy field. Furthermore, there were a number of provisions in existing legislation that needed to be updated. These included the regulation of flaring and venting unignited gas into the atmosphere. The

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was relieved from its obligation under the

Gas Act 1972 The Gas Act 1972 (1972 c. 60) was an Act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom which restructured the British gas industry. It established the British Gas Corporation to exercise full responsibility for the oversight, control and operation of ...

to meet demands for new or additional supplies of gas to large users. It provided the Secretary of State with the power to make Orders requiring the fuel consumption of cars to be made public. It also raised the upper limit of the contributions payable under Section 2 of the Electricity Act 1972 from £25 million to £45 million.

The Energy Act 1976

The Energy Act 1976 (1976 chapter 76) received

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on 22 November 1976. Its long title is ‘An Act to make further provision with respect to the nation's resources and use of energy’.

Provisions

The Act comprises 23 Section and 4 Schedules ''Permanent and reserve powers for energy conservation and control'' * Section 1 General control by order * Section 2 Reserve power to control by government directions * Section 3 Implementation of reserve powers * Section 4 Other powers * Section 5 Temporary relief from restrictive practices law ''Maintenance of fuel reserves'' * Section 6 Bulk stocks of petroleum, etc. * Section 7 Fuel stocks at power stations ''Offshore natural gas'' * Section 8 Supply of offshore natural gas * Section 9 Use and liquefaction of offshore natural gas * Section 10 Supplementary provisions as to consents * Section 11 Interpretation of ss.8 to 10 ''Other measures for controlling energy sources and promoting economy'' * Section 12 Disposal of gas by flaring, etc. * Section 13 Restriction on obligation to supply gas * Section 14 Fuelling of new and converted power stations * Section 15 Passenger car fuel consumption ''Miscellaneous and general'' * Section 16 Finance for power projects * Section 17 Orders and directions * Section 18 Administration, enforcement and offences * Section 19 Penalties * Section 20 Financial provision * Section 21 Interpretation * Section 22 Repeals and savings * Section 23 Citation, commencement and extent Schedules * Schedule 1 Relaxations of Road Traffic and Transport Law Permissible under Section 4(2) * Schedule 2 Administration and other matters * Schedule 3 Community Obligations of which Breach is Punishable under this Act * Schedule 4 Repeals and Savings

Effects of the Act

The Act repealed the Fuel and Electricity (Control) Act 1973 except as it applied to the

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and the

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. The Act which is still in force (in 2020) includes provisions for: * bulk stocks of petroleum * liquefaction of offshore natural gas * disposal of gas by flaring * fuelling of new and converted power stations * passenger car fuel consumption.

Amendments

Section 8 of the 1976 Act was repealed by the

Oil and Gas (Enterprise) Act 1982 The Oil and Gas (Enterprise) Act 1982 (1982 chapter 23) is an Act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom which started the process of privatisation of the oil and gas industries in the UK. It empowered the government to float off and sell share ...

. Section 16 was repealed by the

Electricity Act 1989 The Electricity Act 1989 (c. 29) provided for the privatisation of the electricity supply industry in Great Britain, by replacing the Central Electricity Generating Board in England and Wales and by restructuring the South of Scotland Electricit ...

. Sections 12A and 12B were inserted by the

Energy Act 2016 The Energy Act 2016 (c. 20) is a UK Act of Parliament relating to UK enterprise law and energy in the UK. It created a new Oil and Gas Authority, meaning that a quango rather than a government minister deals with the oil and gas industry. Conte ...

References