Energy Act 2004

Supplementary provisions of Chapter 3 of Part 2U.K.

112Duty to inform [F1appropriate Minister] U.K.

(1)A person who becomes responsible for a relevant object must notify the [F1appropriate Minister] that he has become so responsible.

(2)For the purposes of this section a person becomes responsible for a relevant object if—

(a)he makes a proposal to construct the object in waters regulated under this Chapter;

(b)he makes a proposal for the extension or decommissioning in such waters of the object;

(c)he makes a proposal to operate or use the object on completion of its construction in such waters;

(d)he makes a proposal to operate or use the object on completion in such waters of any extension of it;

(e)he becomes a party to a proposal mentioned in paragraphs (a) to (d);

(f)he begins in such waters to construct, to extend, to operate or use or to decommission the object;

(g)he begins to participate in any of the following activities carried on in such waters, the construction, extension, operation or use or decommissioning of the object.

(3)A person is not required to notify the [F1appropriate Minister] that he has made a proposal, or become a party to a proposal, at any time before at least one of the statutory consents required for enabling effect to be given to the proposal has been given or applied for.

(4)A person who notifies the [F1appropriate Minister] under this section that he has made a proposal, or has become a party to a proposal—

(a)must specify in the notification what statutory consents required for giving effect to the proposal have been given, and what applications for such consents have been made; and

(b)must notify him subsequently whenever such a consent or application is given or made.

(5)A notification under this section must be given within such period after the obligation to give the notification arises as may be prescribed by regulations made by the [F1appropriate Minister].

(6)A person who contravenes the requirements of this section is guilty of an offence.

(7)Regulations under this section[F2—

(a)if made by the Secretary of State,] are subject to the negative resolution procedure[F3;

(b)if made by the Scottish Ministers, are subject to the negative procedure (see section 28 of the Interpretation and Legislative Reform (Scotland) Act 2010).]

(8)A reference in this section to participation in activities does not include a reference—

(a)to participation on behalf of another person; or

(b)to participation by acting in pursuance of an agreement to provide a service or services to a person carrying on those activities.

(9)In this section “statutory consent” has the same meaning as in section 105.

[F4112APower of [F1appropriate Minister] to require information and documentsU.K.

(1)The [F1appropriate Minister] may by notice require a person within subsection (2) to provide the [F1appropriate Minister] with such relevant information or documents as the [F1appropriate Minister] may require in connection with the exercise of functions under this Chapter.

(2)Those persons are—

(a)a person who has been, or may be, given a notice under section 105(2)(a) in relation to a relevant object,

(b)where a person falling within paragraph (a) is a body corporate, a body corporate associated with that person,

(c)a person not within paragraph (a) or (b) who by virtue of provision made under section 108(3)(b) is subject to the duty under section 109(1) in relation to a decommissioning programme relating to a relevant object.

(3)Information or a document is “relevant” if it relates to—

(a)the place where the relevant object is or is to be situated,

(b)the relevant object,

(c)where the recipient of the notice is a body corporate falling within subsection (2)(c) or section 105(2)(a), details of an associated body corporate,

(d)the financial affairs of the recipient of the notice or, where the recipient is a body corporate falling within subsection (2)(c) or section 105(1)(a), (b) or (c), an associated body corporate,

(e)the security that the recipient proposes to provide in relation to the carrying out of a decommissioning programme relating to the relevant object or for the recipient's compliance with any conditions of the programme's approval, or

(f)where the recipient of the notice (“R”) is a body corporate falling within subsection (2)(c) or section 105(1)(a), (b) or (c), the name or address of any person whom R believes to be an associated body corporate.

(4)But if a notice under subsection (1) requires information in connection with a function of the [F1appropriate Minister] under section 107(1) or (4), the notice may require the provision of information or documents which the [F1appropriate Minister] considers are necessary or expedient for the purpose of exercising those functions (whether or not they are of a kind specified in subsection (3)).

(5)A notice under subsection (1) must specify the documents or information, or the description of documents or information, to which it relates.

(6)Information or documents required to be provided under this section must be provided within such period as is specified in the notice under subsection (1).

(7)In this section, “associated”, in relation to a body corporate, is to be construed in accordance with section 105A(3) to (8).

(8)A person who fails, without reasonable excuse, to comply with a notice under subsection (1) is guilty of an offence.

(9)A person who discloses information obtained by virtue of a notice under this section is guilty of an offence unless the disclosure—

(a)is made with the consent of the person by or on behalf of whom the information was provided,

(b)is for the purpose of the exercise of the [F1appropriate Minister]'s functions under this Chapter, the Electricity Act 1989 or Part 4 of the Petroleum Act 1998, or

(c)is required by or under an enactment.]

113Offences relating to decommissioning programmesU.K.

(1)A person guilty of an offence under a provision of this Chapter is liable—

(a)on summary conviction, to a fine not exceeding the statutory maximum;

(b)on conviction on indictment, to imprisonment for a term not exceeding two years or to a fine, or to both.

(2)No proceedings for a decommissioning offence shall be instituted in England and Wales or Northern Ireland except—

(a)by the Secretary of State;

(b)by a person authorised in that behalf by the Secretary of State; or

(c)by or with the consent of the Director of Public Prosecutions or (as the case may be) the Director of Public Prosecutions for Northern Ireland.

(3)Where a decommissioning offence is committed by a body corporate and is proved to have been committed with the consent or connivance of, or to be attributable to any neglect on the part of—

(a)a director, manager, secretary or other similar officer of the body corporate, or

(b)a person who was purporting to act in any such capacity,

he (as well as the body corporate) is guilty of that offence and shall be liable to be proceeded against and dealt with accordingly.

(4)Where such an offence—

(a)is committed by a Scottish firm, and

(b)is proved to have been committed with the consent or connivance of, or to be attributable to any neglect on the part of, a partner of the firm,

he (as well as the firm) is guilty of that offence and shall be liable to be proceeded against and dealt with accordingly.

(5)Where a decommissioning offence is committed outside the United Kingdom, proceedings for the offence may be taken, and the offence may for all incidental purposes be treated as having been committed, in any place in the United Kingdom.

(6)Section 3 of the Territorial Waters Jurisdiction Act 1878 (c. 73) (consents to prosecution of offences committed on the open sea by persons who are not British citizens) does not apply to proceedings for a decommissioning offence.

(7)In this section—

• “decommissioning offence” means an offence under—

  (a)

  a provision of this Chapter; or

  (b)

  regulations made under section 111;

• “director”, in relation to a body corporate whose affairs are managed by its members, means a member of the body corporate.

114Interpretation of Chapter 3 of Part 2U.K.

(1)Expressions used in this Chapter and in Chapter 2 of this Part have the same meanings in this Chapter as in that Chapter.

(2)In this Chapter—

• [F5“appropriate Minister” has the meaning given by section 105(1A);]

• “decommissioning programme” has the meaning given by section 105(2);

• “extend” and “extension”, in relation to an electric line, have the same meanings as they have in Chapter 2 of this Part and this Chapter in relation to a renewable energy installation;

• “recipient”, in relation to a notice under section 105, means the person or any one or more of the persons to whom that notice was given;

• “relevant object” has the meaning given by section 105(10);

• “security” includes—

  (a)

  a charge over a bank account or any other asset;

  (b)

  a deposit of money;

  (c)

  a performance bond or guarantee;

  (ca)

  [F6an insurance policy;]

  (d)

  a letter of credit; and

  (e)

  a letter of comfort;

• “waters regulated under this Chapter” has the meaning given by section 105(10).

(3)References in this Chapter to providing a security include references—

(a)to securing its maintenance or renewal; and

(b)to ensuring that its value is adjusted from time to time to take account of changes to the likely costs of the matters in respect of which it is given.

(4)References in this Chapter to the person by whom a decommissioning programme was submitted are references, in the case of a programme submitted jointly by more than one person, to each of them.

(5)Provision made by or under this Chapter in relation to places outside the United Kingdom—

(a)so far as it applies to individuals, applies to them whether or not they are British citizens; and

(b)so far as it applies to bodies corporate, applies to them whether or not they are incorporated under the law of any part of the United Kingdom.