Environment Plans

NOPSEMA is committed to upholding due process, making timely and competent decisions that are based on criteria set out in the Offshore Petroleum and Greenhouse Gas Storage (Environment) Regulations 2009, adhering to regulatory processes efficiently and effectively, and undertaking informed intervention action where required. NOPSEMA has developed assessment policy which it will apply when undertaking its regulatory function. It provides a documented, systematic and consistent approach for the completion of environment plan assessments associated with all petroleum and greenhouse gas storage activities in Commonwealth waters and designated coastal waters.

Accepted environment plans

Summaries of all accepted environment plans for petroleum activities in Commonwealth waters and designated coastal waters are provided here. These are regularly updated and each summary provides details of the petroleum activity, operator, location, environmental hazards, management approaches and stakeholder consultation associated with the activity.

Environment plan levies

Environment plan levies apply to the submission of environment plans and provide for an annual compliance component during the life of the activity covered by the environment plan. Environment plan levies are payable by the holder(s) of petroleum instrument(s), and are provided for in legislation to enable NOPSEMA to recover costs incurred in carrying out its regulatory functions. Levies are calculated according to the type, number and duration of activities included within the environment plan.

Instrument holders and appointment of operator for an activity

The definition of an “operator” varies between the safety and environment regulations administered by NOPSEMA. Industry stakeholders should note that the following definitions apply to environmental management of a petroleum activity under the environment regulations:

• The instrument holder is the registered person who holds the authority for carrying out a petroleum activity (i.e. a permit or licence) and must ensure that an operator is in place for all petroleum activities. They must notify NOPSEMA of the appointment of an operator prior to the first submission of an environment plan by that operator and of any changes to that operator; and
• The operator of an activity is the person responsible to the instrument holder for the overall management and operation of the activity. They are responsible for submitting the environment plan and complying with the environment plan in force. They must also notify NOPSEMA of any changes in operator contact details.

In some instances, the instrument holder and operator for an activity may be the same person, or representatives of the same company. Regardless, the instrument holder is required to appoint an operator for an activity in writing prior to submission of an environment plan. The instrument holder must also notify NOPSEMA if there is a change in operator or operator details.

Environment plan preparation and submission

An interim guidance note for environment plan preparation is available and has superseded the Commonwealth Department of Resources, Energy and Tourism Guidelines for Preparation and the Submission of an Environment Plan (2008). This interim guidance indicates what is explicitly required by the regulations, discusses good practice and suggests possible approaches. A final version is currently under development and will be published on the website in the near future.  

All environment plan submissions must be accompanied with a completed environment plan submission cover sheet and submitted to NOPSEMA via the following methods:

NOPSEMA is currently developing a series of guidance notes for industry which will be published on the website in the near future. In order to ensure an appropriate level of stakeholder consultation is undertaken during this time, NOPSEMA will implement a stakeholder consultation plan. Comments and suggestions on the content of any interim guidance can be directed to: information@nopsema.gov.au.