Decommissioning offshore installations: revised derogation guidance
Consultation description
The government is re-consulting on revised draft supplementary guidance on the methodology for considering derogations under OSPAR Decision 98/3. These revisions are in response to public feedback received following our previous consultation in 2025.
This new consultation invites stakeholders’ further comments on the changes and additions to the draft guidance.
The Offshore Petroleum Regulator for Environment and Decommissioning (OPRED) has:
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clarified the scope of the guidance (for example, the derogation categories)
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separated out what the operator is responsible for (preparing the full removal case), versus OPRED (assessing the full removal case)
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added more detail on what should be included in an operator’s full removal case
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added a substantial new annex containing the assessment criteria OPRED will use when reviewing the full removal case; our decision-making framework for assessing whether full removal is reasonably achievable; and a clearer definition of what we mean by ‘reasonably achievable’
We are not consulting on the overall step methodology of requiring an upfront case of full removal (as it is in line with OSPAR Agreement 2024-04), nor are we are re-consulting on the policy questions previously asked, as these are now closed.