NOPSEMA's decommissioning strategy, plan and performance
NOPSEMA is implementing a five-year decommissioning compliance strategy, with a vision that decommissioning of offshore petroleum wells, structures and property is completed in a timely, safe, and environmentally responsible manner.
In regulating for decommissioning, NOPSEMA aims to ensure titleholders have appropriate plans for decommissioning and are completing activities in a timely manner.
Our objectives are also to provide certainty to industry regarding their obligations relating to decommissioning, improve understanding and build capacity in safe and responsible decommissioning, and encourage knowledge sharing with all stakeholders.
To achieve our vision, NOPSEMA has set a range of targets that provide simple, time-based expectations for decommissioning.
These targets aim to minimise uncertainty, support the transparency of NOPSEMA’s regulatory actions and help ensure consistent, transparent and risk-based regulatory decisions.
You can read more about our vision, goals and targets in the decommissioning compliance strategy.
Decommissioning research strategy
NOPSEMA encourages collaboration between the government, industry and research bodies to fill knowledge gaps for decommissioning in Australia.
NOPSEMA believes there is an opportunity for industry to take a more collaborative and transparent approach to addressing common research priorities. Doing this will allow government and industry to utilise resources more effectively to meet the needs of a broader suite of end-users. It will also allow effective tailoring of research outputs to support offshore activity management, including decommissioning and regulatory approvals processes.
NOPSEMA has published a Research Strategy to provide industry with a clear vision for enhanced research outcomes, including NOPSEMA's goals and role in supporting that vision. The research strategy identifies a range of research questions that, if answered, will benefit both industry and government in achieving better decommissioning outcomes.
NOPSEMA also collaborates with a range of research organisations to collaborate regarding future research opportunities and to stay informed on the latest scientific developments.
Progress against general directions
In line with the decommissioning compliance plan, NOPSEMA has issued statutory general directions and/or formal requests for revisions to permissioning documents to all tier one projects.
NOSPEMA actively monitors compliance with these enforcements and continues to oversee and influence titleholders to achieve safe and environmentally responsible decommissioning within the timeframes set in the directions.
Titleholders are obliged to report on progress against some directions annually and to publish those reports, which are available on each titleholder’s website.