Summary and Background Part 1: Decarbonisation
5.Part 1 of this Act gives the Secretary of State a power, by order, to set or amend a decarbonisation target range – being a target range for the level of carbon intensity of the electricity generation sector in the United Kingdom. Carbon intensity is a measure of the amount of carbon dioxide (or other greenhouse gases) produced per unit of electricity generated. The earliest year that a decarbonisation target range could be set for is 2030, and the power to set this target range cannot be exercised until the United Kingdom’s fifth carbon budget is set (expected to be in 2016, based on the timescales for carbon budgets as set out in the Climate Change Act 2008). Prior to setting a decarbonisation target range, the Secretary of State is required to consider a number of factors set out in the Act, and to consult the devolved administrations in Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales. Once a decarbonisation target range has been set, the Secretary of State has a duty to ensure that the upper end of the target range is not exceeded, to report to Parliament on the policies and proposals to meet a target range, and to publish an annual statement on the carbon intensity of electricity generation in the United Kingdom.