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Energy Act 2016 (c. 20).

Country/Territory
United Kingdom
Document type
Legislation
Date
2016
Source
FAO, FAOLEX
Long title
An Act to make provision about the Oil and Gas Authority and its functions; to make provision about rights to use upstream petroleum infrastructure; to make provision about the abandonment of offshore installations, submarine pipelines and upstream petroleum infrastructure; to extend Part 1A of the Petroleum Act 1998 to Northern Ireland; to make provision about the disclosure of information for the purposes of international agreements; to make provision about fees in respect of activities relating to oil, gas, carbon dioxide and pipelines; to make provision about wind power; and for connected purposes.
Subject
Energy, Environment gen., Mineral resources, Sea
Keyword
Energy conservation/energy production Renewable energy Institution Pollution control Environmental planning Marine pollution Ecofriendly products/ecofriendly processes Policy/planning Mining Natural gas Oil Exploration
Geographical area
Atlantic Ocean Islands, Europe, Europe and Central Asia, North Atlantic, North Sea, North-East Atlantic, Northern Europe
Abstract

This Act contains provisions to implement recommendations on UK offshore oil and gas recovery and its regulation. The Act establishes the Oil and Gas Authority (OGA) as an independent regulator (taking the form of a Government company), transfers regulatory powers and functions to it, as well as providing it with new powers. This ensures the OGA has the powers it needs to be an independent and effective regulator, and enable it to deliver on a strategy to give effect to the principal objective, defined in section 9A of the Petroleum Act 1998. The Act also enables more comprehensive charging of the offshore oil and gas industry for permits and licences for environmental and decommissioning activity. This allows Government to continue to recover the costs of its environmental and decommissioning activity in line with the ‘polluter pays’ principle. The Act makes changes so that local authorities decide whether to approve planning applications for new onshore wind farms, and brings forward the closure of the Renewables Obligation (RO) to new onshore wind in Great Britain. It also allows for provision to be made for restricting the use of renewables obligation certificates relating to new onshore wind in Northern Ireland. In relation to onshore oil and gas licensing in Scotland and Wales, the Act will respect the changing devolution position. The Secretary of State’s environmental regulatory functions in relation to oil and gas will not be transferred. The OGA will additional powers including: access to company meetings; data acquisition, retention and transfer; dispute resolution; and sanctions. The Act introduces provisions in relation to charges for the offshore oil and gas environmental regulator's services to the industry and makes legislative changes with respect to consenting of onshore wind farms (planning regime in the Town and Country Planning Act 1990).

Full text
English
Website
www.opsi.gov.uk

References - Legislation

Amends

Energy Act 2008 (2008 Cap. 32).

Legislation | United Kingdom | 2008

Keyword: Energy conservation/energy production, Renewable energy, Transport/storage, Radiation, Nuclear energy, Pollution control, Hazardous waste, Marine pollution, Mining, Natural gas, Oil

Source: FAO, FAOLEX

Energy Act 2011 (2011 Cap. 16).

Legislation | United Kingdom | 2011

Keyword: Energy conservation/energy production, Renewable energy, Nuclear energy, Subsidy/incentive, Marine pollution, Climate change, Transport/storage

Source: FAO, FAOLEX