Energy Act 2004

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Extract

Energy Act 2004

An Act to make provision for the decommissioning and cleaning up of installations and sites used for, or contaminated by, nuclear activities; to make provision relating to the civil nuclear industry; to make provision about radioactive waste; to make provision for the development, regulation and encouragement of the use of renewable energy sources; to make further provision in connection with the regulation of the gas and electricity industries; to make provision for the imposition of charges in connection with the carrying out of the Secretary of State’s functions relating to energy matters; to make provision for giving effect to international agreements relating to pipelines and offshore installations; and for connected purposes.

[22 nd July 2004]

Be it enacted by the Queen’s most Excellent Majesty, by and with the advice and consent of the Lords Spiritual and Temporal, and Commons, in this present Parliament assembled, and by the authority of the same, as follows:—

Part 1 The Civil Nuclear Industry

Chapter 1 Nuclear decommissioning

Establishment of NDA

1 The Nuclear Decommissioning Authority

(1) There shall be a body corporate to be known as the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority (“the NDA”).

(2) The NDA is not to be treated—

(a) except so far as necessary for the purposes of its function under section 7(2) , as performing any duty or exercising any power on behalf of the Crown; or

(b) as enjoying any status, immunity or privilege of the Crown;

and the NDA’s property is not to be regarded as property of the Crown, or as held on behalf of the Crown.

2 Constitution of NDA

(1) The NDA—

(a) shall consist of not fewer than seven and not more than thirteen members; and

(b) shall have a membership comprising both non-executive members and executive members.

(2) The non-executive members shall be—

(a) a chairman appointed by the Secretary of State; and

(b) a number of other persons appointed by the Secretary of State (after consultation with the chairman);

and (subject to subsection (1)) it is for the Secretary of State to determine how many non-executive members there are to be in addition to the chairman.

(3) The executive members shall be—

(a) a person appointed by the non-executive members to be the NDA’s chief executive; and

(b) the other persons (if any) appointed by them (after consultation with the chief executive) to be executive members in addition to the chief executive;

and it is for the non-executive members to determine (subject to subsection (8)) whether there are to be executive members in addition to the chief executive, and (if so) how many.

(4) The approval of the Secretary of State is required for the appointment of the chief executive.

(5) Before—

(a) appointing a person to be the chairman or otherwise to be a non-executive member of the NDA, or

(b) approving the appointment of a person to be the chief executive,

the Secretary of State must consult the Scottish Ministers.

(6) Subsection (5) may be satisfied by consultation that took place wholly or partly before the commencement of this section.

(7) If there are executive members in addition to the chief executive, each must be a member of the staff of the NDA.

(8) Where the Secretary of State so provides by a direction to the NDA, the non-executive members must secure that the number of executive members in addition to the chief executive—

(a) is not less than the minimum set by the direction; and

(b) does not exceed the maximum so set;

and the direction must not set a maximum of more than three.

(9) The Secretary of State must exercise his powers under this section to secure, so far as practicable, that the number of executive members is at all times less than the number of non-executive members.

(10) Schedule 1 (which contains further provision about the constitution, staffing and proceedings of the NDA) has effect; and subsections (1) to (9) have effect subject to paragraph 4 of that Schedule.

Principal function of NDA

3 Designated responsibilities

(1) The principal function of the NDA shall be to have responsibility for securing—

(a) the operation, pending the commencement of their decommissioning, of designated nuclear installations;

(b) the decommissioning of those and other designated nuclear installations;

(d) the operation of designated facilities for treating, storing, transporting or disposing of hazardous material;

(e) the treatment, storage, transportation and disposal, in designated circumstances, of hazardous material; and

(f) the decommissioning of designated installations comprised in NDA facilities.

(2) The responsibilities of the NDA under this section are responsibilities to be discharged by the performance of its duties under sections 15 and 16.

(3) A designation for the purposes of this section—

(a) of an installation, site or facility, and

(b) of the circumstances in which the NDA is to have responsibility ...

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