| Short Title: | Energy Act 1976 |
| Type: | Act |
| Parliament: | Parliament of the United Kingdom |
| Long Title: | An Act to make further provision with respect to the nation's resources and use of energy |
| Year: | 1976 |
| Citation: | 1976 c. 76 |
| Introduced Commons: | Minister of State, Department of Energy (Dr. J. Dickson Mabon) 15 June 1976 (Second Reading) |
| Territorial Extent: | United Kingdom |
| Royal Assent: | 22 November 1976 |
| Status: | Amended |
| Original Text: | https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/1976/76/contents/enacted |
| Replaces: | Fuel and Electricity (Control) Act 1973 |
The Energy Act 1976 (c. 76) is an act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom 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.
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.[1] 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 European Council 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.[2] These included the regulation of flaring and venting unignited gas into the atmosphere. The British Gas Corporation was relieved from its obligation under the Gas Act 1972 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 (1976 chapter 76)[3] received Royal Assent 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’.
The Act comprises 23 Section and 4 Schedules
Permanent and reserve powers for energy conservation and control
Maintenance of fuel reserves
Offshore natural gas
Other measures for controlling energy sources and promoting economy
Miscellaneous and general
Schedules
The Act repealed the Fuel and Electricity (Control) Act 1973 except as it applied to the Channel Islands and the Isle of Man. The Act which is still in force (in 2020) includes provisions for:
Section 8 of the 1976 Act was repealed by the Oil and Gas (Enterprise) Act 1982. Section 16 was repealed by the Electricity Act 1989. Sections 12A and 12B were inserted by the Energy Act 2016.