208.This section imposes a requirement for the Secretary of State to publish his view on what electricity supply capacity is needed to meet demand, including spare capacity to cope with unexpected events. It amends section 172 of the Energy Act 2004, under which the Secretary of State is already required to report on security of supply including by reference to generating capacity in Great Britain.
209.Subsection (2) supplements the existing reporting requirements set out in section 172 of the Energy Act 2004 by requiring the Secretary of State to include in the report his assessment of the capacity needed to meet demand for electricity in Great Britain. As in section 79, the assessment must: be included from 2012 and in each subsequent year; cover each of the four years following the year of the report and or any other periods the Secretary of State may specify by order; and take account of a number of variables.