The Energy Act, no. 18 of 2021.

This Act, consisting of 79 paragraphs, divided into eight chapters, provides for: determining the procedures and standards for the generation, use and supply of energy in the Maldives; maintaining the rights of consumers of energy services and the quality of services provided by energy suppliers as a public utility service at a reasonable price; establishing an environmentally friendly energy system that facilitates sustainable development and resilience to greenhouse gas emissions. Thus, the Act provides for implementing measures to protect the human health and the environment from damages occurring during the energy production stages. The Act concerns the development of an energy Plan, in order to improve the quality of energy service, and increase the exploitation of renewable energy sources. Chapter 2 specifies roles and responsibilities of the Ministry, the Authorities, and of other institutions: facilitating the provision of electricity services at reasonable price to all inhabitants of the villages; increasing investment opportunities in the energy sector and establishing a favourable investment environment; providing technical assistance to local authorities for the implementation of renewable energy projects; defining standards for the supply of energy services; implementing environmental, public health and safety standards; approval of electricity purchase and sale agreements; defining specific measures for export, refining, import, transportation and storage of petroleum and petroleum products; protecting the rights of energy buyers and investors in the energy sector; facilitating the establishment of laboratories to assess energy efficiency standards.
Chapter 3 concerns the ownership and management of renewable energy sources. According to the Act, all the energy sources naturally occurring within the territory of the State are property of the State, and therefore the Act empowers the Ministry to conduct a survey, in order to inventory all the renewable resources. The Act also provides for the setting of a specific target for renewable generation of electricity in the country. Chapter 4 focuses on the petroleum and petroleum products, and concerns: the issuance of licences and authorisations for petroleum or petroleum product service operations; social and economic aspects to be considered in deciding whether to grant a license; permission before commencing the construction of a petroleum pipeline or petroleum refinery; environmental impact assessment for petroleum operations; measures to prevent oil pollution and environmental contamination, and related liability of the owner of petroleum products; safety of vessels carrying petroleum and petroleum products, and specific requirements for the vessels in the continental shelf or the exclusive economic zone of the country.
Further chapters concern the rights of electricity generators and consumers of electricity services; the formulation of energy consumption regulations and standards; the dissemination and management of information on energy consumption; the issuance of energy efficiency certificate to an energy user who uses energy better than the standards prescribed by the Ministry; measures to prevent the misuse or improper use of energy; measures in case of a disaster or environmental accidents; fees and taxes payable by the service provider; offences and penalties; definition of relevant terms.