On 8 November 2019, Australian NOPSEMA issued a notice to Equinor requiring them to modify and resubmit their environment plan for proposed drilling in the Great Australian Bight.
Now, Equinor must provide NOPSEMA with additional information about matters regarding consultation, source control, oil spill risk, and matters protected under Part 3 of the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999.
The opportunity to modify and resubmit does not represent a refusal or rejection of the environment plan. This is a normal part of NOPSEMA’s environment plan assessment process. NOPSEMA is required by law to provide titleholders a reasonable opportunity to modify and resubmit their plan if it doesn’t meet the regulatory requirements for acceptance
NOPSEMA explained.
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Via the iterative assessment process under the Commonwealth Environment Regulations, NOPSEMA previously requested more information from Equinor on 27 June 2019 to input into its environment plan.
Equinor now has 21 days to respond to NOPSEMA’s request to modify and resubmit its environment plan. However, Equinor may request an extension to this timeline.
