Coalition Energy Policy - Possible Contradiction but Brimming with Opportunity

Liberal Democrat Chris Huhne is appointed Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change in the new coalition government, ahead of the energy-experienced Conservative shadow energy minister, Charles Hendry.

Mr Huhne's background in journalism will no doubt bolster the already adept communications team at the Department of Energy and Climate Change (DECC) whose regular communication of evolving energy policy initiatives has now become part of the UK energy landscape. Regulators are often accused of reacting late to socio-political factors, something DECC works hard to communicate as not being the case.

Whilst the coalition government's first joint agreement paper (Agreement) has reiterated existing cross party agreement on many areas of energy policy (albeit in broad terms), perhaps the first most significant decision is for Liberal Democrats to be able to abstain from making a decision on nuclear, meaning that Conservative and Labour politicians will no doubt