International encyclopaedia of laws: energy law, United Kingdom

The complex law surrounding energy production and the exploitation of natural resources has reached the legal foreground both nationally and internationally. Due in large part to the liberalisation wave but principally to the environmental dimension of energy production numerous countries in recent years have enacted new legislation concerning nuclear power generation, the use of non-renewable resources, transportation of hazardous materials, and other issues raised by energy production processes.
Other branches of law have inevitably become bound up with energy law, making it difficult for the legal practitioner to gain a clear appreciation of the entire field, especially in a transnational context.

This subset of the International Encyclopaedia of Laws covers national and international energy law. Each national monograph contains a general introduction, a description of the country's energy legislation, an overview of the basic principles of energy law, the historical background, the role of governmental institutions, and the sources of energy law in that country's legal system.

Each country's regulatory framework concerning electricity, gas, petrol and coal is fully set forth, with emphasis on the aspects of production, exploitation, transport, distribution, and consumption. Each monograph also deals with the interactions of energy law with environmental law, tax law and competition law. In addition, Energy Law includes international monographs covering international legislation and treaties and the energy law of the European Union.