Offshore Petroleum Activities (Oil Pollution Prevention and Control) (Amendment) Regulations 2011 |
New Amendment Regulations came into force on 30 March 2011. Revised DECC Guidance is available on the DECC Website; this is not yet reviewed/incorporated into the Oil & Gas UK Register but will be for the next quarterly update. In the meantime, the key changes to the regulations are:
The Offshore Petroleum Activities (Oil Pollution Prevention and Control) (Amendment) Regulations 2011 have introduced a number of changes to the Regulations. This includes a new definition of "offshore installation" which encompasses all pipelines - some of which were not previously covered by the OPPC Regulations. The amending OPPC Regulations also include the concept of "release" to cover all unintentional emissions of oil that occur through accidental spills / leaks or non-operational discharges. Intentional emissions are now clarified as discharges. However, given that the OPPC Regulations already covered oil spills and leaks, the concept of "release" is being incorporated by the amending Regulations solely for the purpose of conformity with the Offshore Chemicals (Amendment) Regulations 2011.
In addition, the amending OPPC Regulations 2011:
- extend DECC's information-gathering powers, so that information can be obtained from a wider range of persons and in relation to a wider range of incidents;
- simplify the consents process for varying permits or transferring them to other operators; and
- provide additional powers for DECC inspectors to take appropriate enforcement action in relation to actual or potential leaks and spills of oil.
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