Energy Bill — Decline Second Reading — 19 Dec 2012 at 18:50

The majority of MPs voted to approve the major principles in the Energy Bill and to allow the Bill to continue on its path to becoming law.

The key elements of the Bill are:

• Reform of the energy market with "regard" to reducing carbon dioxide emissions, securing supply, considering costs to consumers and an EU target of 15% of UK energy to be supplied from renewable sources by 2020.
• To give the Secretary of State the power to subsidise electricity generation using renewable, nuclear and carbon capture and storage technologies.
• To set out the role of the Office for Nuclear Regulation.
• To make provisions relating to the operation of the government pipe-line and storage system.
• To introduce "consumer redress orders" to provide redress to consumers who suffer loss, damage or inconvenience as a result of a breach licence conditions or other relevant regulatory requirement.
• To enable the state to charge prospective nuclear operators for work related to assessing submitted "funded decommissioning programmes".

The motion rejected in this vote was:

• That this House, whilst affirming its support for measures included in the Bill to reform the electricity market to deliver secure, clean and affordable electricity, declines to give a Second Reading to the Energy Bill because it fails to include a clear target to decarbonise the power sector by 2030, and because it fails to include direct measures to increase transparency, competition or liquidity or ensure that the energy market is properly regulated and works in the interests of consumers.

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• [1] Parliament's webpage on the Energy Bill (now the Energy Act 2013)
• [2] Explanatory Notes to the Energy Bill as introduced in the House of Commons on 29th November 2012

Debate in Parliament | Source |