Although only formed in 1974, the Department of Energy was not the first ministry to handle energy-related matters. The
Ministry of Fuel and Power was created on 11 June 1942 from functions separated from the
Board of Trade. It took charge of coal production, allocation of supplies of fuels, control of energy prices and petrol
rationing during
World War II. The Ministry of Fuel and Power was renamed the Ministry of Power in January 1957. The Ministry of Power later became part of the
Ministry of Technology on 6 October 1969, which merged into the
Department of Trade and Industry on 20 October 1970. The post of Secretary of State for Energy was re-created in 2008 as the
Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change. ==See also==