Directive 2009/31/EC of the European Parliament and of the CouncilShow full title

Article 13 Monitoring

1. Member States shall ensure that the operator carries out monitoring of the injection facilities, the storage complex (including where possible the CO₂ plume), and where appropriate the surrounding environment for the purpose of:

(a) comparison between the actual and modelled behaviour of CO₂ and formation water, in the storage site;

(b) detecting significant irregularities;

(c) detecting migration of CO₂;

(d) detecting leakage of CO₂;

(e) detecting significant adverse effects for the surrounding environment, including in particular on drinking water, for human populations, or for users of the surrounding biosphere;

(f) assessing the effectiveness of any corrective measures taken pursuant to Article 16;

(g) updating the assessment of the safety and integrity of the storage complex in the short and long term, including the assessment of whether the stored CO₂ will be completely and permanently contained.

2. The monitoring shall be based on a monitoring plan designed by the operator pursuant to the requirements laid down in Annex II, including details on the monitoring in accordance with the guidelines established pursuant to Article 14 and Article 23(2) of Directive 2003/87/EC, submitted to and approved by the competent authority pursuant to Article 7(6) and Article 9(5) of this Directive. The plan shall be updated pursuant to the requirements laid down in Annex II and in any case every five years to take account of changes to the assessed risk of leakage, changes to the assessed risks to the environment and human health, new scientific knowledge, and improvements in best available technology. Updated plans shall be re-submitted for approval to the competent authority.