diff --git a/CHANGES.txt b/CHANGES.txt
index 2ec73024544b05bf9961e1fe052b9a50da3bc25f..62234f3250e35221ad7f64448ce4af1895c589b0 100644
--- a/CHANGES.txt
+++ b/CHANGES.txt
@@ -6,6 +6,14 @@ Make Experiments!
 Release Changes
 ---------------
 
+Release 1.0.8
+=============
+
+Templates
+---------
+
+* Changed 'format_namelist' function to allow use of (yet) undefined groups
+
 Release 1.0.7
 =============
 
diff --git a/mkexp b/mkexp
index b90347f0cf1e95c5016baa4acfec62d4f81cee0c..a1ae8c36f203b4afe9c1033916f77501ed8b0447 100755
--- a/mkexp
+++ b/mkexp
@@ -153,6 +153,10 @@ def cut_remove_list(section, key):
 def format_namelist(section, group=None):
     '''Format config section as a namelist.
        If given, just format a single namelist group'''
+    # Skip undefined groups
+    if group and group not in section:
+        feedback.debug("namelist '"+group+"' not defined (yet)")
+        return ''
     # Settings
     base_indent = 4
     # Create list of removed namelist groups.
diff --git a/test.py b/test.py
index 9eee8ada85238c04ebc5274b7f456e3c9b23f513..d353ba1229b685da904f419b7e27e795c6a2c473 100644
--- a/test.py
+++ b/test.py
@@ -502,6 +502,7 @@ class NamelistTestCase(MkexpSimpleTestCase):
         self.run_test("""
             %{format_namelist(namelists.namelist)}
             %{format_namelist(namelists.namelist, 'group2')}
+            %{format_namelist(namelists.namelist, 'no such group')}
         """, """
             &group1
                 value = 41