The Storage of Carbon Dioxide (Licensing etc.) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2015

The Storage of Carbon Dioxide (Licensing etc.) Regulations (Northern Ireland) implement Articles 2.3, 2.4, 3, 4.3, 4.4, 5.1, 5.2, 5.3 and Chapter 3 (storage permits) (except Articles 18 and 20) of the CCS Directive. The Regulations implement those provisions of the Directive which deal with storage permits, including: (1) the granting of permits for the operation of carbon dioxide storage sites (and related exploration activities); (2) the obligations of the storage operator (for example, in relation to monitoring, reporting and corrective measures) whilst storage activities are taking place; (3) the operator’s continuing obligations for a period after the closure of the storage site; and (4) the inspection of carbon dioxide storage complexes. 

The purpose of the Directive is to establish a legal framework for the environmentally safe geological storage of carbon dioxide. Such a framework had been established in the UK by Part 1, Chapter 3, of the Energy Act 2008, which extends to Northern Ireland. The Act provided for a licensing regime governing the permanent storage of carbon dioxide offshore, including the UK territorial waters adjacent to Northern Ireland. 

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