DECC

The Department of Energy & Climate Change (DECC) works to make sure the UK has secure, clean, affordable energy supplies and promote international action to mitigate climate change.

Responsibilities

We are responsible for:

• energy security – making sure UK businesses and households have secure supplies of energy for light and power, heat and transport
• action on climate change – leading government efforts to mitigate climate change, both through international action and cutting UK greenhouse gas emissions by at least 80% by 2050 (including by sourcing at least 15% of our energy from renewables sources by 2020)
• renewable energy – sourcing at least 15% of our energy from renewable sources by 2020
• affordability – delivering secure, low-carbon energy at the least cost to consumers, taxpayers and the economy
• fairness – making sure the costs and benefits of our policies are distributed fairly so that we protect the most vulnerable and fuel poor households and address competitiveness problems faced by energy intensive industries
• supporting growth – delivering our policies in a way that maximises the benefits to the economy in terms of jobs, growth and investment, including by making the most of our existing oil and gas reserves and seizing the opportunities presented by the rise of the global green economy
• managing the UK’s energy legacy safely, securely and cost effectively

Priorities

From 2012 to 2013 our priorities will be:

• supporting investment in the UK’s energy infrastructure – including through the Energy Bill, which will set in place the framework to bring forward the £110 billion needed in our electricity infrastructure over the next decade
• supporting consumers and keeping energy bills down, including through implementation of the Green Deal
• promoting action in the EU and internationally to maintain energy security and mitigate dangerous climate change as we chart the way towards a global deal on climate change in 2015