Introduction
The Australian Parliament passed amendments to the Offshore Petroleum and Greenhouse Gas Storage Act 2006 (OPGGS Act) in 2021 to enhance Australia’s framework for decommissioning offshore oil and gas infrastructure. This included expanding existing remedial direction provisions to enable a greater range of people to be called back to do remedial work, if required. This is known as trailing liability.
The trailing liability for decommissioning of offshore petroleum property guideline aims to help you understand:
- the scope of the trailing liability provisions
- provide general information on how these provisions may be applied.
This guideline does not replace, nor limit, the OPGGS Act and associated regulations. The guideline does not constrain the powers of the National Offshore Petroleum Safety and Environmental Management Authority (NOPSEMA) or the responsible Commonwealth Minister.
Pre-existing trailing liability provisions
Prior to commencement of the expanded remedial directions provisions, a form of trailing liability was already provided for under the OPGGS Act.
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Read more
- The Australian Government endorsed enhancements to the framework on 8 April 2021
- Amendments to enhance offshore oil and gas decommissioning came into effect on 2 March 2022
- Read more about offshore oil and gas decommissioning