Energy law
Energy laws govern the use and taxation of energy, both renewable and non-renewable. These laws are the primary authorities related to energy. In contrast, energy policy refers to the policy and politics of energy.
Energy law includes the legal provision for oil, gasoline, and "extraction taxes." The practice of energy law includes Oil and gas agreements and other contracts for siting, extraction, licenses for the acquisition and ownership rights in oil and gas both under the soil before discovery and after its capture, and adjudication regarding those rights.
Renewable energy law
International law
There is a growing academic interest in international energy law, including continuing legal education seminars, treatises, law reviews, and graduate courses. In the same line, there has been growing interest on energy-specific issues and their particular relation with international trade and connected organizations like the World Trade Organization.There are also periodic international meetings such as the World Forum on Energy Regulation.
Africa
The Regional Association of Energy Regulators for Eastern and Southern Africa is an international nonprofit organization dedicated to promoting cooperation between the various countries on energy law, policy, and development.Egypt
's Energy in Egypt is regulated by The Ministry of Electricity and Renewable Energy of Egypt, which is the government ministry in charge of managing and regulating the generation, transmission, and distribution of electricity in Egypt. Its headquarters are in Cairo. The current minister as of 2020 is Mohamed Shaker. The ministry was established in 1964 with presidential decree No. 147. The famous Aswan High Dam, which produces electricity, is government owned and regulated; its construction required the removal of Abu Simbel temples and the Temple of Dendur. Egypt has established a separate power authority to build and operate a nuclear power plant.Ghana
has a regulatory body over energy, the Energy Commission.Nigeria
's government owns the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation. The Lagos Business School has a number of academic offerings related to the legal, economic, and business management of energy, particularly oil and petroleum, which is a major sector in Nigeria's economic sector. Nigeria heavily subsidies petrol, which mainly benefits rich people. On 1 January 2012, the Nigerian government headed by president Goodluck Ebele Jonathan, tried to cease the subsidy on petrol and deregulate the oil prices by announcing the new price for petrol as US$0.88/litre from the old subsidised price of US$0.406/litre, which in areas distant from Lagos petrol was priced at US$1.25/litre. This led to the longest general strike, riots, Arab spring like protests and on 16 January 2012 the government capitulated by announcing a new price of US$0.60/litre with an envisaged price of US$2.0/litre in distant areas. In May 2016 the Buhari administration increased fuel prices again to NGN 145 per litre. In September 2020, the government had announced an increase in the pump price of petrol to NGN 151.56 per litre from NGN 148.Uganda
has adopted a new nuclear power law, which it hopes "will boost technical cooperation between the country and the International Atomic Energy Agency," according to "a senior agency official" from that African country.Australia
Energy is big business in Australia. Australian Energy Producers represents 98% of the oil and gas producers in Australia.Bangladesh
Canada
has an extensive energy law, both through the federation and the provinces, especially Alberta. These include:- Alternative Fuels Act
- Cooperative Energy Act
- Energy Administration Act
- Energy Monitoring Act
- Nuclear Energy Act
- Canada Oil and Gas Operations Act
- Canada Petroleum Resources Act
- National Energy Board Act
- Electricity and Gas Inspection Act
The Supreme Court of Canada has had issued some Canadian energy case law.
Canada's energy laws are so extensive and complicated in large part because of its government-owned energy resources:
Canada and the Quebec province also own extensive hydroelectric dam facilities, which have generated not only power but controversy.
China
European Union
European energy law has been focused on the legal mechanisms for managing short-term disruptions to the continent's energy supply, such as Germany's 1974 Law to Secure the Energy Supply. The European integrated hydrogen project was a European Union project to integrate United Nations Economic Commission for Europe guidelines and create a basis of ECE regulation of hydrogen vehicles and the necessary infrastructure replacing national legislation and regulations. The aim of this project was enhancing of the safety of hydrogen vehicles and harmonizing their licensing and approval process.Five nations have created the EurObserv'ER energy consortium. The EU has also created an Energy Community to extend their policies into Southeastern Europe. Austuraiu hosts the annual World Sustainable Energy Days.
The EU regulates motor vehicle emissions; see Directive 80/1269/EEC.
Germany
's renewable energy law mandates the use of renewable energy through its taxes and tariffs. It promotes the development of renewable energy sources via a system of feed-in tariffs. It regulates the amount of energy generated by the producer and the type of renewable energy source. It also creates an incentive to encourage technological advancements and costs. The results have been startling: on 6 June 2014, more than half of the nation's energy used on that date came from solar power. Despite regulatory processes adding more renewable energy to its energy mix, Germany's electric grid has become more reliable, not less.The German government has proposed abandoning "its planned phase-out of nuclear energy to help rein in surging electricity prices and protect the environment, according to proposals drawn up by an energy task force under Economy Minister Michael Glos." The German Green Party has opposed nuclear energy, as well as the market power of German utilities, claiming the "energy shortfall" has been artificially created.
There is significant academic interest in German energy law. A chart summarizing German energy legislation is available.
Italy
Italy has few natural resources. lacking substantial deposits of iron, coal, or oil. Proven natural gas reserves, mainly in the Po Valley and offshore Adriatic, constitute the country's most important mineral resource. More than 80% of the country's energy sources are imported. The energy sector is highly dependent on imports from abroad: in 2006 the country imported more than 86% of its total energy consumption.In the last decade, Italy has become one of the world's largest producers of renewable energy, ranking as the world's fifth largest solar energy producer in 2009 and the sixth largest producer of wind power in 2008.
In 1987, after the Chernobyl disaster, a large majority of Italians passed a referendum opting for phasing out nuclear power. The government responded by closing existing nuclear power plants and completely putting a halt to the national nuclear program. Italy also imports about 16% of its electricity need from France for 6.5 GWe, which makes it the world's biggest importer of electricity. Due to its reliance on expensive fossil fuels and imports, Italians pay approximately 45% more than the EU average for electricity.
In 2004, a new Energy Law brought the possibility of joint ventures with foreign companies to build nuclear power plants and import electricity. In 2005, Italy's power company, ENEL made an agreement with Electricite de France for 200 MWe from a nuclear reactor in France and potentially an additional 1,000 MWe from new construction. As part of the agreement, ENEL received a 12.5% stake in the project and direct involvement in design, construction, and operation of the plants. In another move, ENEL also bought 66% of the Slovak Electric utility that operates six nuclear reactors. As part of this agreement, ENEL will pay the Slovak government EUR 1.6 billion to complete a nuclear power plant in Mochovce, which has a gross output of 942 MWe. With these agreements, Italy has managed to access nuclear power without placing reactors on Italian territory.
Lithuania
The nation of Lithuania has an energy law, Energetikos teisė.Ukraine
In Ukraine, renewable energy projects are supported by a feed-in tariff system. The law of Ukraine "On alternative sources of energy" refers to alternative energy sources: solar, wind, geothermal, hydrothermal, marine and hydrokinetic energy, hydroelectricity, biomass, landfill biogas and others. Ukrainian National Energy and Utilities Regulatory Commission and State Agency on Energy Efficiency and Energy Saving of Ukraine are the main renewable energy regulation authorities. Reforms have been made by Ukrainian government in alternative energy sphere. There is a need of energy savings services in Ukraine. Its potential reaches about 5 billion EUR only in state-owned buildings.Ukraine has a separate regulatory agency to manage the Chernobyl Exclusion Zone.
Other European countries
has an established the Albanian Institute of Oil and Gas.There is significant geothermal power in Iceland; about 80% of the nation's energy needs are met by geothermal sources, all of which is owned by the government, or regulated by it.
Switzerland incorporated a company, Grande Dixence SA, to manage their Hydroelectric power.