Utilities Act 2000

46 Power to recover expenditure

(1) Section 19 of the 1989 Act (power to recover expenditure) is amended as follows.

(2) In subsection (1) for “a public electricity supplier”, “supplier” and “supply of electricity” there is substituted respectively “an electricity distributor”, “distributor” and “connection”.

(3) For subsection (2) there is substituted—

“(2) The Secretary of State may, after consultation with the Authority, make provision by regulations for entitling an electricity distributor to require a person requiring a connection in pursuance of section 16(1) to pay to the distributor, in respect of any expenses reasonably incurred in providing any electric line or electrical plant used for the purpose of making the connection, such amount as may be reasonable in all the circumstances if—

(a) the connection is required within the prescribed period after the provision of the line or plant; and

(b) a person (“the initial contributor”) has made a payment to the distributor in respect of those expenses, the line or plant having been provided for the purpose of making a connection to any premises or distribution system as required by that person.”

(4) In subsection (3) for “a public electricity supplier” there is substituted “an electricity distributor.”

(5) In subsection (4) for the words from “maintaining” to the end there is substituted “continuing to provide it”.