Energy Act 2023

11Conditions of licences: generalU.K.

(1)A licence may include—

(a)such conditions (whether or not relating to the activities authorised by the licence) as appear to the grantor to be requisite or expedient having regard to the duties imposed by section 1 (principal objectives of Secretary of State and economic regulator), and

(b)conditions requiring the making to the economic regulator of a payment on the grant of the licence, or payments during the currency of the licence, or both, of such amount or amounts as may be determined by or under the licence.

(2)Without prejudice to the generality of paragraph (a) of subsection (1), conditions included in a licence by virtue of that paragraph may require the licence holder—

(a)to comply with any direction given by the economic regulator or the Secretary of State as to such matters as are specified in the licence or are of a description so specified,

(b)to consent to the disclosure of information provided in accordance with a direction given to the licence holder,

(c)except in so far as the economic regulator or Secretary of State consents to the licence holder’s doing (or not doing) them, not to do (or to do) such things as are specified in the licence or are of a description so specified,

(d)to refer for determination by the economic regulator or Secretary of State such questions arising under the licence, or under any document referred to in the licence, as are specified in the licence or are of a description so specified, and

(e)to refer for approval by the economic regulator or the Secretary of State such things as are (or may be) required to be done under the licence, and such contracts or agreements made before the grant of the licence, as are specified in the licence or are of a description so specified.

(3)Without prejudice to the generality of paragraph (a) of subsection (1), conditions in a licence may also include—

(a)provision about the revenue that the licence holder may receive in respect of its activities (the licence holder’s “allowed revenue”);

(b)provision about how the licence holder’s allowed revenue is to be calculated.

(4)In subsection (3) the reference to revenue that the licence holder may receive in respect of its activities includes revenue that is calculated by reference to estimates of the licence holder’s decommissioning costs, as defined in section 92 (financing of costs of decommissioning etc).

(5)Without prejudice to the generality of paragraph (a) of subsection (1), conditions which are described in subsection (6) may be included in a licence by virtue of that paragraph, in respect of circumstances where a person (“the licence holder”) holds such a licence, and another person (“the candidate”)—

(a)has applied or is considering whether to apply for a licence, or

(b)is considering whether to apply for financial support for carbon capture activities.

(6)The conditions in this subsection are conditions which require the licence holder to comply with a direction given by the economic regulator or the Secretary of State requiring the licence holder to provide to the candidate—

(a)information in relation to the activities authorised by the licence, and

(b)any other assistance the candidate may reasonably require, for the purpose of determining whether to—

(i)apply for a licence, or

(ii)(as the case may be) apply for financial support for carbon capture activities.

(7)Conditions included in a licence may contain provision for the conditions—

(a)to have effect or cease to have effect at such times and in such circumstances as may be determined by or under the conditions, or

(b)to be modified in such manner as may be specified in the conditions at such times and in such circumstances as may be so determined.

(8)Any provision included by virtue of subsection (7) in a licence is to have effect in addition to the provision made by this Part with respect to the modification of the conditions of a licence.

(9)Conditions included in a licence may provide for references in the conditions to any document to operate as references to that document as revised or re-issued from time to time.

(10)Any sums received by the economic regulator in consequence of the provisions of any condition of a licence must be paid into the Consolidated Fund.