Charles Hendry told hundreds of leading lights in the energy world that the government would stop talking and take action to have an energy policy for the future.

Speaking at the Association of Electricity Producers annual lunch in the city, he said the electricity market review underway in the next three months would give them all certainty and would listen to what the sector had to say.

He said: “In the three months of this consultation you must have your voice and say what you think because at the end of that process we will be setting out the way forward. There comes a time when we stop debating, stop consulting, stop having reviews and green papers and say this is a line in the sand, this is the decision, this is how its going to be lets get on and lets make it happen. Because that’s what you want and what we want”

Mr Hendry outlined some of the major issues the review will look at and said no area of generation or power transmission would be overlooked. “It will be looking at the Carbon price, mechanisms needed to stimulate investment in low carbon technologies. It will be looking at encouraging investment in capacity either in back up plants or by shaving demand. It will be looking at the emissions performance standard which should be a spur not a deterrent to invest.”

He added that smart meters, the green deal and various other measures would all be designed to help consumers to keep bills affordable and this along with the changes to the producers leads to something the UK has been missing for a long time, an energy policy.

“We haven’t needed one because people were rushing to invest in Britain for many years. But now we have to make that pitch. We have to have an energy policy. And you are the people in this room to make it happen. You are our partners and allies in making it happen and I look forward to working with you, he said.