The Offshore Oil and Gas Exploration, Production, Unloading and Storage (Environmental Impact Assessment) Regulations 2020

Interpretation

3.—(1) In these Regulations—

“the 1999 Regulations” has the meaning given in regulation 2(1);

“the EIA Directive” means Directive 2011/92/EU on the assessment of the effects of certain public and private projects on the environment;

“combustible gas” means gas within the meaning of section 2(4) of the Energy Act 2008;

“developer” means any person who carries out, or proposes to carry out, a project;

“environmental impact assessment” means the process consisting of—

(a)

the preparation and submission of an environmental statement by a developer in accordance with regulation 8;

(b)

the carrying out of consultations in compliance with regulation 11 and, where relevant, regulations 12 and 13;

(c)

the Secretary of State’s consideration of the information presented in the environmental statement, any further information provided by the developer that falls under regulation 12(3) and any representations received as the result of the consultations referred to in sub-paragraph (b);

(d)

the Secretary of State’s conclusion as required by regulation 14(2);

(e)

the integration of that conclusion into the Secretary of State’s decision as to whether to agree to the grant of consent;

“environmental statement” means a report prepared by the developer as part of the environmental impact assessment in respect of a project, in accordance with regulation 8 (environmental statement requirements);

“geological storage of carbon dioxide” means an activity within section 17(2)(a) of the Energy Act 2008;

“installation” means a surface installation or subsea installation;

“natural gas” means gas existing in its natural condition in strata;

“the OGA” means the Oil and Gas Authority;

“oil” includes any mineral oil or relative hydrocarbon existing in its natural condition in strata, but does not include coal or bituminous shales or other stratified deposits from which oil can be extracted by destructive distillation;

“overseas project” has the meaning give in regulation 19(5)(b);

“project” means, except in the term “overseas project”, the execution of construction works or other installations or schemes, and other interventions in the natural surroundings and landscape, where those activities fall under, or relate to the implementation of, a matter set out in Schedules 1, 2 or 3;

“public website” means a website accessible to the public where the public can view and download information placed upon it;

“scoping opinion” has the meaning given in regulation 9(1);

“screening direction” has the meaning give in regulation 5(2)(a);

“surface installation” includes fixed, floating and mobile installations.

(2) References in these Regulations to a project being in a particular area include a project proposed to be carried out in that area, a project which is in the course of being carried out in that area and a project which has been carried out in that area.