Resources
Onshore Dismantling and Removal
Decommissioned offshore assets may be returned in full or in part to UK ports for dismantling and onwards reuse, repurposing, recycling or disposal of the materials and waste arising. The information below is of use to both asset owners/operators, who should be aware of relevant health and safety and waste management controls, and to onshore facilities seeking to manage these wastes and materials.
HSE
Employers at onshore decommissioning facilities must manage risks to workers from dismantling activities and from hazardous materials which may be present in decommissioned assets. Such sites need to ensure the asset owner has provided enough information on the hazardous materials, location and quantities to allow work to proceed safety.
Construction (Design and Management) Regulations Guidance Information on CDM requirements, which applies to large scale dismantling activities.
SEPA
Onshore decommissioning work is subject to permitting by the environment agencies. Sites must apply for permits to ensure that operators are 'fit and proper' to be carrying out the activity, and that the right management and discharge conditions are in place to ensure waste is managed safely, and that communities and the environment are protected from pollution.
Guidance on Regulation of Offshore Oil and Gas Waste This guidance outlines the main types of waste arising from oil and gas activities during routine and decommissioning operations. It summarises the key risks to consider and the current environmental regulatory framework for such waste.
Controlled Activities Regulations - General information A link to the SEPA Pollution Control (CAR) website
The Water Environment (Controlled Activities) (Scotland) Regulations 2011 -A Practical Guide This guidance provides information on which activities are controlled under CAR to ensure protection of the water environment. It applies to activities where surface waters containing pollutants are discharged directly to a river, loch or sea, and may require additional conditions in any environmental permits held by sites carrying out dismantlement or decommissioning of redundant oil and gas infrastructure.
Waste Regulation - General Information A link to SEPA's Waste and Landfill resources intranet page.
A Guide to Waste Management Licensing This guidance provides information on how SEPA regulates the majority of waste management facilities, including those which will accept and process waste from oil and gas decommissioning activities. It covers the principles behind regulation, waste management licence conditions, the management controls and physical infrastructure SEPA expects a site to have in place and additional considerations for some specific waste types or waste handling facilities.
Pollution Prevention and Control (PPC) Technical Guidance - A Practical Guide for Part A Activities This guidance provides an overview of the scope of PPC regulation for Part A activities, which may include decommissioning sites having a high throughput of large amounts of hazardous or non-hazardous wastes. It covers which sites require a PPC permit, best available techniques, the regulatory process and making an application, and relationship with other legislation.
End of Waste Regulation for Scrap Metals: The Requirements for Scrap Metals to Cease to be Waste This guidance provides information to businesses on the controls and standards required to ensure that waste metals have been sorted and processed to a point at which they are no longer classed as a waste and can be handled without waste management controls
Authorisation Guide for Radioactive Substances Activities Decommissioning sites may receive wastes contaminated with naturally occurring radioactive material (NORM) or with waste sealed sources from oil and gas production still attached. This guidance provides information on determining the type of permit required for each radioactive substances activity.