Environmental Statement - Maersk Oil

Balloch Field Development Environmental Statement
Appendix A – Review of Legislation
discharge amended 2011) (as amended by the
Energy Act 2008 (Consequential
Modifications) (Offshore Environmental
Protection) Order 2010)
PON 15e
Preliminary
discussions
Decommissioning
proposals
Petroleum Act 1998 (as amended by the
Energy Act 2008 and in accordance with
OSPAR Decision 98/3 )
IMO Guidelines and Standards for the
removal of offshore installations and
structures on the continental shelf 1989
DECC Guidance note for Industry
Decommissioning of Offshore
Installations and Pipelines 2009
Under these Regulations, permits to use and discharge chemicals, including decommissioning chemicals, need to be
obtained. Types of permit required for the operations would be a PON15e for use and discharges of chemicals during
decommissioning. The permits are applied for using the application form found at
https://www.og.decc.gov.uk/regulation/pons/index.htm and emailed to the Environmental Management Team at DECC.
The application requires a description of the work carried out, a site specific environmental impact assessment and a list
of all the chemicals intended for use and/or discharge, along with a risk assessment for the environmental effect of the
discharge of chemicals into the sea. The permit obtained may include conditions.
Permits now extend to operational and non‐operational emissions of chemicals under the 2011 amendments and to
carbon sequestration activities under the Energy Act 2008 (Consequential Modifications) (Offshore Environmental
Protection) Order 2010.
Regulator: DECC
OSPAR Decision 98/3 concerns the decommissioning of installations. It requires that decommissioning will normally
remove the whole of an installation, although there are some exceptions for large structures. However, currently, there
are no international guidelines for the decommissioning of pipelines.
Under the terms of the OSPAR Decision 98/3 there is a prohibition on dumping and leaving wholly or partly, in place of
offshore installations. All installations installed post 1999 should be removed entirely. For those installed pre 1999 the
topsides must be returned to shore and all installations with a jacket weight of less than 10,000 tonnes completely
removed for re‐use, recycling or final disposal on land with installations of greater than 10,000 tonnes being considered
on an individual basis with the base case being that they will be removed entirely.
The Petroleum Act 1998 sets out requirements for undertaking decommissioning of offshore installations and pipelines
including preparation and submission of a Decommissioning Programme. Decommissioning proposals for pipelines
should be contained with a separate Decommissioning Programme from that of installations. However, programmes for
both pipelines and installations in the same field may be submitted in one document.
Part III of the Energy Act 2008 amends Part 4 of the Petroleum Act 1998 and contains provisions to enable the Secretary
of State to make all relevant parties liable for the decommissioning of an installation or pipeline; provide powers to
require decommissioning security at any time during the life of the installation and powers to protect the funds put aside
for decommissioning in case of insolvency of the relevant party.
The Petroleum Act 1998 as amended stipulated that a decommissioning programme needs to be prepared and agreed
with DECC.
The main stages of the decommissioning process are:
Stage 1 ‐ Preliminary discussions with DECC
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