Guidance

Decommissioning standalone onshore oil and gas wells: RPS 254

Updated 19 March 2025

Applies to England

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This publication is available at https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/decommissioning-standalone-onshore-oil-and-gas-wells-rps-254/decommissioning-standalone-onshore-oil-and-gas-wells-rps-254

When decommissioning a standalone onshore oil and gas well, this regulatory position statement (RPS) does not change your legal requirement to:

  • get an environmental permit
  • comply with other relevant legislation

However, if you meet the requirements in the RPS, the Environment Agency will not normally take enforcement action if you do not have a permit for a mining waste operation to:

  • manage extractive waste from decommissioning oil and gas wells
  • carry out monitoring

This is provided that:

  • your activity meets the description set out in this RPS
  • you comply with the conditions set out in this RPS

In addition, your activity must not cause (or be likely to cause) pollution of the environment or harm to human health. You must also not:

  • cause a risk to water, air, soil, plants or animals
  • cause a nuisance through noise or odours
  • adversely affect the countryside or places of special interest

Activity this RPS applies to

This RPS only applies to decommissioning standalone onshore oil and gas wells drilled before 1 October 2013.

It does not apply to onshore oil and gas wells drilled:

When this RPS applies

This RPS applies when:

  • you do not use a waste facility to manage extractive waste
  • the only extractive waste you manage is that directly associated with well decommissioning, such as well fluids extracted from the wellbore before it’s sealed
  • the well site you are decommissioning is a standalone site – it must not be part of a larger regulated facility, installation or mining waste operation
  • there is no evidence of pollution
  • you are not doing any groundwater activities

Conditions you must comply with

You must comply with:

Before you use this RPS, you must get the Environment Agency’s written agreement by contacting enquiries@environment-agency.gov.uk. Include:

  • ‘Decommissioning standalone oil and gas wells: RPS 254 – for action’ in the email subject
  • details of the location and depth of all the wells you are going to decommission

You must:

  • keep records for 2 years from the date you last use this RPS to show that you have complied with this RPS
  • make these records available to the Environment Agency on request

When you must check back

The Environment Agency intends to review this RPS by 31 December 2027.

The Environment Agency can withdraw or amend this regulatory position before the review date if they consider it necessary. This includes where the activity and circumstances that this RPS relates to have not changed.

You will need to check back from time to time, including at and before the review date, to see if this RPS still applies.

You can subscribe to email updates about this RPS. These will tell you if the RPS has changed and when it has been withdrawn.

This RPS remains in force until it is removed from GOV.UK or is otherwise identified as having been withdrawn.

If you cannot comply with this RPS

If you operate under this RPS but can no longer comply with it, you must:

  • stop the activity to which this RPS relates
  • tell the Environment Agency immediately by contacting enquiries@environment-agency.gov.uk with the subject ‘Decommissioning standalone oil and gas wells: RPS 254 – for action’

Contact the Environment Agency

If you have any questions about this RPS, email enquiries@environment-agency.gov.uk with the subject ‘Decommissioning standalone oil and gas wells: RPS 254 – for action’.

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