Utilities Act 2000

{{Use dmy dates|date=April 2022}}

{{Infobox UK legislation

|short_title=Utilities Act 2000

|type=Act

|parliament=Parliament of the United Kingdom

|long_title=An Act to provide for the establishment and functions of the Gas and Electricity Markets Authority and the Gas and Electricity Consumer Council; to amend the legislation regulating the gas and electricity industries; and for connected purposes.

|statute_book_chapter=2000 c. 27

|introduced_by=

|territorial_extent=England and Wales & Scotland (except amendments & repeals){{Cite legislation UK |type=act |year=2000 |chapter=27 |act=Utilities Act 2000|section=110|date=}} (4) and (5)

|royal_assent=28 July 2000

|commencement=

|repeal_date=

|replaces=Fossil Fuel Levy Act 1998

|amendments=

|related_legislation=

|repealing_legislation=

|status=

|original_text=http://www.opsi.gov.uk/acts/acts2000/ukpga_20000027_en_1

|use_new_UK-LEG=yes

|legislation_history=

}}

The Utilities Act 2000{{Cite legislation UK |type=act |year=2000 |chapter=27 |act=Utilities Act 2000|section= |date=}} (c. 27) is an Act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom that deals with the gas and electrical markets in the UK. It mainly modified the Gas Act 1986, the Gas Act 1995 and Electricity Act 1989. One of the greatest changes was that integrated electricity companies were required to have separate licences for each of their businesses such as supply or distribution. The act was originally supposed to deal with water and telecoms as well, but following industry pressure they were dropped.{{Citation needed|reason=pressure from industry or from public?|date=April 2023}}

Section 105 of the Act{{Cite legislation UK |type=act |year=2000 |chapter=27 |act=Utilities Act 2000|section=105|date=}} is intended to protect national security; it prohibits the disclosure of certain types of information relevant to the energy sector, with penalties of fines and up to two years' imprisonment for breaches. The section has been used by Ofgem to threaten whistleblowers informing their managers and the National Audit Office of misspends of millions of pounds.{{cite news| last=Curwen | first=Lesley | last2=Lewis | first2=David | title=Millions 'misspent on green energy abuse' | website=BBC News | date=13 November 2018 | url=https://www.bbc.com/news/business-46196969}}{{cite web |url=https://www.theguardian.com/law/2018/sep/17/ofgem-made-my-life-hell-whistleblowers-say-they-were-threatened-by-regulator |title=Ofgem exploited national security law to silence us, whistleblowers claim |newspaper=The Guardian |date=17 September 2018|author=Nick Hopkins}} The Employment Appeal Tribunal found that the law contravened the European Convention on Human Rights.{{cite web |url=https://www.bindmans.com/news/utilities-act-breaches-european-convention-on-human-rights |title=Utilities Act Is Incompatible With European Convention on Human Rights |website=Bindmans LLP |date=10 December 2018 |archive-date=28 March 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190328160856/https://www.bindmans.com/news/utilities-act-breaches-european-convention-on-human-rights |url-status=dead }}