Commonwealth Consolidated Acts

OFFSHORE PETROLEUM AND GREENHOUSE GAS STORAGE ACT 2006 - SECT 399

  (1)   If:

  (a)   a site closing certificate is in force in relation to an identified greenhouse gas storage formation; and

  (b)   the responsible Commonwealth Minister is satisfied that operations for the injection of a greenhouse gas substance into the formation ceased on a day (the cessation day ) before the application for the site closing certificate was made; and

  (c)   on a day (the decision day ) that is at least 15 years after the issue of the site closing certificate, the responsible Commonwealth Minister is satisfied that:

  (i)   the greenhouse gas substance injected into the formation is behaving as predicted in Part A of the approved site plan for the formation; and

  (ii)   there is no significant risk that a greenhouse gas substance injected into the formation will have a significant adverse impact on the geotechnical integrity of the whole or a part of a geological formation or geological structure; and

  (iii)   there is no significant risk that a greenhouse gas substance injected into the formation will have a significant adverse impact on the environment; and

  (iv)   there is no significant risk that a greenhouse gas substance injected into the formation will have a significant adverse impact on human health or safety; and

  (v)   since the cessation day, there have not been any operations for the injection of a greenhouse gas substance into the formation;

the responsible Commonwealth Minister may, by writing, declare that the period:

  (d)   beginning at the end of the cessation day; and

  (e)   ending at the end of the decision day;

is the closure assurance period in relation to the formation for the purposes of this Act.

  (2)   A copy of a declaration under subsection   (1) is to be given to the holder of the site closing certificate.