Energy Act 2010

5 Reports on decarbonisation and CCS progress

(1) The Secretary of State must, for each reporting period, prepare a report on progress during the reporting period—

(a) in decarbonising electricity generation in Great Britain (covering separately generation by coal-fired generating stations), and

(b) in the development and use of carbon capture and storage technology in Great Britain.

(2) Each of the first three reports under subsection (1) must include an assessment by the Secretary of State—

(a) of whether use of carbon capture and storage technology in generation of electricity on a commercial scale has been, or when it will be, successfully demonstrated;

(b) of whether coal-fired generating stations for which appropriate consent is given on or after 1st January 2020 that are built in Great Britain can be expected to be constructed so as to enable use of carbon capture and storage technology on all their generating capacity.

(3) A report under subsection (1) must also include a review of whether, having regard to the other matters contained in the report, any government policies should be revised and, if so, why.

(4) In preparing a report under subsection (1), the Secretary of State must—

(a) consult the Scottish Ministers and the Welsh Ministers;

(b) take into account any relevant points raised by reports by the Committee on Climate Change under section 36 of the Climate Change Act 2008 (reports on progress).

(5) The Secretary of State must, within 1 year after the end of a reporting period, lay before Parliament a document containing the report under subsection (1) for that period.

(6) In this section—

• “appropriate consent” means consent under section 36 of the Electricity Act 1989 or section 114(1)(a) of the Planning Act 2008;

• “coal-fired generating station” means an electricity generating station powered wholly or mainly by coal;

• “decarbonising electricity generation” means reducing the amount of carbon dioxide emitted into the atmosphere from electricity generation;

• “reporting period” means—

  (a)

  the period beginning with the passing of this Act and ending with 2011;

  (b)

  the 3 year period beginning with 2012 and each subsequent 3 year period;

  and “the reporting period”, in relation to a report under subsection (1), means the reporting period to which the report relates.