Legislation
Offshore Electricity Infrastructure
The Offshore Electricity Infrastructure Act 2021, together with the Offshore Electricity Infrastructure (Regulatory Levies) Act 2021 and Offshore Electricity Infrastructure (Consequential Amendments) Act 2021, provide the legal framework for offshore electricity infrastructure projects and activities in Commonwealth waters.
The framework enables the construction, commissioning, operation, and decommissioning of offshore electricity infrastructure.
The Offshore Infrastructure Registrar is responsible for administrative duties such as processing and assessing applications for licences, providing advice to the Minister as the decision-maker on licence applications, maintaining the Register of Offshore Infrastructure Licences, and ongoing licence compliance.
Assigned staff within NOPTA will assist the Offshore Infrastructure Registrar to undertake these activities. This is a separate function, including separate cost recovery, to NOPTA's functions under the Offshore Petroleum and Greenhouse Gas Storage Act 2006.
For more information on this framework, refer to the Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water.
Offshore Petroleum and Greenhouse Gas Storage
The Offshore Petroleum and Greenhouse Gas Storage Act 2006 (OPGGS Act) and associated regulations provides for orderly:
- petroleum exploration and recovery; and
- injection and storage of GHG substances
in offshore areas, and sets out a basic framework of rights, duties, obligations, entitlements and responsibilities of governments and industry.
