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UK Petroleum Act 1998: Crown Ownership of Petroleum, Licensing, Pipelines and Offshore Decommissioning

The Petroleum Act 1998 consolidates the core UK law on petroleum exploitation, submarine pipelines and the decommissioning of offshore installations,…

What UK Petroleum Act 1998: Crown Ownership of Petroleum, Licensing, Pipelines and Offshore Decommissioning requires

The Petroleum Act 1998 consolidates the core UK law on petroleum exploitation, submarine pipelines and the decommissioning of offshore installations, administered by the Secretary of State and, for offshore matters, the North Sea Transition Authority and the Offshore Petroleum Regulator for Environment and Decommissioning. Section 2 vests the rights to petroleum existing in its natural condition in strata in the Crown. Section 3 provides that the Secretary of State may grant licences to search and bore for and get petroleum, and section 4 makes further provision about such licences, including the conditions that may be attached. Part III governs submarine pipelines: section 14 controls the construction and use of pipelines and section 15 provides for authorisations. Part IV governs the abandonment of offshore installations and submarine pipelines: section 29 requires the preparation of an abandonment (decommissioning) programme, section 30 identifies the persons who may be required to submit a programme (including licensees and associated companies), section 34 deals with the revision of programmes, section 37 makes it an offence to fail without reasonable excuse to carry out an approved programme, and section 38 allows the Secretary of State to require information about, and protection of, the financial resources available to meet decommissioning liabilities. The Act is the legal foundation for UK petroleum licensing, pipeline control and the polluter-funded decommissioning of offshore oil and gas infrastructure.

Pillar: Energy & Utilities · Authority: UK Parliament / North Sea Transition Authority and OPRED · Version: 1.0.0 · Last updated:

Primary source: https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/1998/17/contents

SHA-256 integrity: 8fc7521d51febcd6017778e715f8d732f530afae565339a68d53c3808415c396

Primary Citations — 8 traced to source

  • Petroleum Act 1998, section 2 - rights to petroleum vested in the Crown.
  • Petroleum Act 1998, section 3 - licences to search and bore for and get petroleum.

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