Regulatory Context

Under the Petroleum Act 1998, it is a requirement to decommission offshore facilities at the end of their producing life. Operators have to submit detailed programmes for the decommissioning of offshore installations and pipelines which are considered on a case-by-case basis by the competent authority - the Offshore Petroleum Regulator for Environment and Decommissioning (OPRED) at the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero (DESNZ) - which is responsible for ensuring compliance with the Petroleum Act.

The UK’s international obligations on decommissioning are governed principally by the 1992 Convention for the Protection of the Marine Environment of the North East Atlantic (OSPAR Convention). In July 1998, the OSPAR Commission adopted a binding Decision (OSPAR Convention Decision 98/3) to ban the disposal of offshore installations at sea. The Decommissioning Programmes for the Dunlin Alpha fields and infrastructure have been developed through extensive engineering studies, expert input, scientific assessments and stakeholder engagement to be compliant with both UK and OSPAR Convention requirements.

Regulation of the health, safety and welfare of personnel who may be affected by work activities offshore, meanwhile, is undertaken by the Health & Safety Executive who apply the specific provisions of The Offshore Installations (Offshore Safety Directive) (Safety Case etc.) Regulations 2015, notably through the Safety Cases which have been submitted for different stages in the life cycle of the Greater Dunlin facilities.