- Enforced by
- CMA, Ofgem, NSTA, Crown Estate Scotland
- Status
- Amended (in force with amendments)
- Penalty ceiling
- Imprisonment 9 of 130 obligations carry an unlimited fine. 10 carry different penalties and 111 have no criminal penalty — flagged in the list below.
Does it bind you?
Business-side roles with duties under this instrument.
Plus 46 duties on the regulator, Crown ministers and public bodies — folded into the section list below.
Other Acts binding the same actors
If a role above is yours, these are the other instruments that most often bind it.
Any Person — also bound by 2340 other Acts
Distributor — also bound by 182 other Acts
Licence Holder — also bound by 225 other Acts
Trader — also bound by 825 other Acts
Applicant — also bound by 307 other Acts
Director or Officer — also bound by 429 other Acts
What it requires
Sections creating concrete business duties or carrying penalties, grouped as the instrument is structured. Titles link to the source text — blue means you’re leaving for legislation.gov.uk.
ELECTRICITY SUPPLY
52 of 222 sections shownOther duties (1) — Crown / regulator
- Secretary of State must issue guidance on social and environmental mattersCrown / Minister / Government department
Other duties (1) — Crown / regulator
- Ofgem must comply with binding EU energy decisionsStatutory regulator
Other duties (1) — Crown / regulator
- Ofgem must coordinate with other authorities on electricity market regulationStatutory regulator
- Carry out electricity activities without a licenseAny Person
Unlimited fine
- Comply with duties for distribution exemption holdersAny Person
- Comply with duties for exempt electricity suppliersAny Person
- Notify existing licence holders of your transmission licence applicationApplicant
- Pay required tender costs and provide security or depositsLicence Holder
- Comply with electricity licence conditions and regulatory directionsLicence Holder
- Obtain Ofgem consent before transferring an electricity licenceLicence Holder
- Fund subsidiary nuclear generation companies in ScotlandLicence Holder
- Maintain an efficient distribution and transmission system and foster competitionDistributor
- Obtain independence certification for electricity transmission or interconnectionAny Person
Other duties (1) — Crown / regulator
- Secretary of State must report on energy security for foreign applicantsCrown / Minister / Government department
Other duties (1) — Crown / regulator
- Ofgem must decide on certification applications within statutory deadlinesStatutory regulator
Other duties (1) — Crown / regulator
- Ofgem must notify you of your designation as a system operatorStatutory regulator
- Provide information to Ofgem during a certification reviewAny Person
Other duties (1) — Crown / regulator
- Secretary of State must report on security risks of foreign connectionsCrown / Minister / Government department
- Do not exercise restricted shareholder or appointment rightsAny Person
Other duties (1) — Crown / regulator
- CMA must determine electricity licence modification appealsTribunal / Court
Other duties (1) — Crown / regulator
- CMA must issue specific orders when allowing an electricity license appealTribunal / Court
Unlimited fine
Other duties (1) — Crown / regulator
- CMA must issue, explain, and publish appeal decisionsStatutory regulator
- Electricity distributors must connect premises on requestDistributor
Other duties (1) — Crown / regulator
- Ofgem must follow specific procedures before issuing enforcement ordersStatutory regulator
Other duties (1) — Crown / regulator
- Ofgem may issue consumer redress orders for rule breachesStatutory regulator
- Comply with consumer redress orders and remedial actionsAny Person
Other duties (1) — Crown / regulator
- Ofgem must follow specific procedures before issuing a redress orderStatutory regulator
- Fail to provide information or tampering with records for energy regulatorsAny Person
Unlimited fine
- Contravene electricity supply and safety regulationsAny Person
Unlimited fine
Other duties (1) — Crown / regulator
- Ministers must consult industry before making Renewables Obligation ordersCrown / Minister / Government department
Other duties (1) — Crown / regulator
- Secretary of State must consult and gain Parliament approval for closure ordersCrown / Minister / Government department
Other duties (1) — Crown / regulator
- Secretary of State may direct levy funds to be paid into the Consolidated FundCrown / Minister / Government department
Other duties (1) — Crown / regulator
- Secretary of State must align certificate purchase orders across regionsCrown / Minister / Government department
- Obtain consent before building or operating a power stationAny Person
Other duties (1) — Crown / regulator
- Authorities must assess impact on sea lanes before approving offshore energyStatutory regulator
Unlimited fine
- Obtain consent before installing or keeping overhead electric linesAny Person
Fine up to £1,000
- Compensate customers if electricity supply standards are not metDistributor
- Pay compensation for failing to meet electricity service standardsDistributor
- Conduct business to achieve set electricity performance standardsDistributor
- Achieve overall standards of performance for electricity distributionDistributor
Other duties (1) — Crown / regulator
- Ofgem must consult and notify before setting service standardsStatutory regulator
- Provide electricity performance and compensation data to the regulatorDistributor
Other duties (1) — Crown / regulator
- Citizens Advice must publish performance and complaint stats for energy firmsStatutory regulator
- Disclose director pay linked to service standardsTrader
Other duties (1) — Crown / regulator
- Ofgem must coordinate with competition authorities and act promptlyStatutory regulator
Other duties (1) — Crown / regulator
- Ofgem must monitor and collect data on electricity market activitiesStatutory regulator
- Intentionally alter, suppress or destroy documents required by OfgemAny Person
- Tamper with or destroy documents required for regulatory monitoringAny Person
Unlimited fine
Other duties (1) — Crown / regulator
- CMA must report on whether specific activities should be licensedStatutory regulator
Other duties (1) — Crown / regulator
- Ofgem must consult before removing an activity from licensing requirementsStatutory regulator
Other duties (1) — Crown / regulator
- Secretary of State must consult before removing licensable activitiesCrown / Minister / Government department
Other duties (1) — Crown / regulator
- Ofgem must provide copies of notices to consumer advocacy bodiesStatutory regulator
- Make false statements or impersonate electricity personnelAny Person
- Provide false information or impersonate electricity officialsAny Person
Unlimited fine
170 other sections in this Part — procedural and definitional
REORGANISATION OF THE INDUSTRY
3 of 31 sections shownOther duties (1) — Crown / regulator
- Secretary of State must approve or create electricity transfer schemesCrown / Minister / Government department
Other duties (1) — Crown / regulator
- Secretary of State must manage and report on loans to Crown-owned companiesCrown / Minister / Government department
- Crown-owned successor companies must repay Treasury-guaranteed loansTrader
28 other sections in this Part — procedural and definitional
MISCELLANEOUS AND SUPPLEMENTAL
9 of 19 sections shown- Fail to provide electricity industry statistics or provide false dataAny Person
- Provide false information or unlawfully disclose confidential statistical dataAny Person
- Treat electricity as goods for stamp duty purposesAny Person
- Comply with formal directions given under the Electricity ActAny Person
- Company liable for offences committed with directors' consent or neglectAny Person
Unlimited fine
10 other sections in this Part — procedural and definitional
Schedules
68 of 358 shown- Formally agree and record the division of property and staff after a transferAny Person
Other duties (1) — Crown / regulator
- Secretary of State may provide financial assistance for nuclear liabilitiesCrown / Minister / Government department
Other duties (1) — Crown / regulator
- Authority must publish notice of modification applicationStatutory regulator
Other duties (1) — Crown / regulator
- Ofgem must set fair property scheme terms (including compensation) for energy asset transfersStatutory regulator
Other duties (1) — Crown / regulator
- Tribunal must consider construction, commissioning and operational needsTribunal / Court
Other duties (1) — Crown / regulator
- Authority must publish notice of property scheme applicationsStatutory regulator
- Manage third-party electricity supplier access requestsAny Person
- Apply to Ofgem to classify your exempt distribution system as a closed distribution systemAny Person
- Submit charging methodology to Ofgem for approval when requested by customer or third party supplierAny Person
- Notify Ofgem of changes affecting closed distribution system classificationAny Person
- Grant third-party supplier access to your distribution system when a customer switchesAny Person
- Third-party electricity suppliers must follow access application processDistributor
- Provide non-discriminatory access to your distribution system for third party suppliersAny Person
- Obtain Ofgem approval for use of system charge methodologyAny Person
- Provide and maintain electrical connections when required by a supplier or customerAny Person
- Respond to connection requests and negotiate termsAny Person
- Switch electricity customers and provide written contractsAny Person
- Cooperate with new supplier when a customer switches electricity supplierAny Person
- Do not charge customers for switching supplier and send final bill within 6 weeksAny Person
- Meet contract and customer protection rules for household electricity supplyTrader
- Send customers annual electricity consumption and cost informationAny Person
- Include energy source information on each customer billAny Person
- Grant right over part of property if Lands Tribunal orders itAny Person
- Do not dispose of acquired land without Ofgem consentLicence Holder
- Minimise damage and ensure public safety when carrying out street worksLicence Holder
- Follow rules when entering land to survey for electricity licence activitiesLicence Holder
- Obstruct an electricity inspector or licence holderAny Person
Fine up to £1,000
- Do as little damage as possible when carrying out electricity works and pay compensationLicence Holder
- Fail to give notice or comply with undertaker's requirementsAny Person
Fine up to £1,000
- Remove electric line when wayleave ends and notice receivedLicence Holder
- Apply for water abstraction and diversion rights for hydro-electric projectsAny Person
- Minimise damage and pay compensation when using water rights for hydro generationAny Person
Other duties (1) — Crown / regulator
- Secretary of State must hold local inquiry before order if objections receivedCrown / Minister / Government department
Other duties (1) — Crown / regulator
- Secretary of State may authorise compulsory water rights via orderCrown / Minister / Government department
Other duties (1) — Crown / regulator
- Secretary of State must consider all circumstances before making compensation water ordersCrown / Minister / Government department
Other duties (1) — Crown / regulator
- Secretary of State must obtain SEPA water-environment advice before making ordersCrown / Minister / Government department
- Serve copies of notice and draft order on specified bodies before publicationApplicant
Other duties (1) — Crown / regulator
- CMA must decide your appeal permission within 10 or 14 working daysTribunal / Court
- Fail to comply with CMA information notice or provide false informationAny Person
Unlimited fine
- Pay CMA costs within 28 days if orderedAny Person
- Do not charge disabled customers for meter adaptationsDistributor
- Do not charge disabled customers for meter repositioning or adapted replacementDistributor
- Obstruct authorised person exercising right of entryAny Person
Fine up to £1,000
- Create and publish a scheme for deemed electricity supply contractsDistributor
- Electricity distributors must publish a scheme for valuing unauthorised electricityDistributor
- Do not reconnect a disconnected electricity supply without permissionAny Person
- Damage electricity distributor's lines or supplier's metersAny Person
Fine up to £1,000
- Allow electricity distributor or supplier access to your premises for meter and line workDistributor
- Keep specified information available for Ofgem if you hold a generation licenceLicence Holder
- Use approved and certified meters for electricity supplyDistributor
Fine up to £2,500
- Supply electricity through an appropriate meter and manage its installationDistributor
- Keep electricity meters you provide in proper working orderDistributor
- Tamper with electricity meter or prevent registrationAny Person
Fine up to £1,000
- Only use pre-payment meters to recover specific permitted debtsDistributor
- Supply electricity through an unapproved meterAny Person
Fine up to £1,000
- Provide and maintain meter testing and sealing apparatus as directedDirector or Officer
Other duties (1) — Crown / regulator
- Meter examiners must test disputed electricity meters on requestCrown / Minister / Government department
- Remove or alter a disputed electricity meter without approvalAny Person
Fine up to £500
Other duties (1) — Crown / regulator
- Secretary of State or Scottish Ministers may regulate electricity consent applicationsCrown / Minister / Government department
Other duties (1) — Crown / regulator
- Reporter must propose, decide and report on procedure for examining applicationsCrown / Minister / Government department
- Prepare and publish a statement on how you'll perform environmental dutiesLicence Holder
- Consider and mitigate environmental impact of electricity proposalsLicence Holder
- Prepare, consult on, and publish your environmental duties statementLicence Holder
Other duties (1) — Crown / regulator
- Commissioners must determine tax apportionment disputes for electricity successor companiesTribunal / Court
Other duties (1) — Crown / regulator
- Secretary of State must prepare and send annual loan accounts to Comptroller and Auditor GeneralCrown / Minister / Government department
Other duties (1) — Crown / regulator
- Secretary of State must not fund expenditure NDA is responsible forCrown / Minister / Government department
Other duties (1) — Crown / regulator
- Scottish Local Authorities must report on heat production and supplyLocal authority
Other duties (1) — Crown / regulator
- Local authority must report heat installation details to Secretary of State annuallyLocal authority
290 other schedules
Help complying
Guvnor’s practical routes through this instrument.
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10 more guides that reference this instrument
Connected legislation
Instruments made under this Act. They carry the detail the Act delegates.
Duty extraction and severity labels are Guvnor’s analysis of the instrument, not the instrument itself. Always verify against the linked source text.