Pipe-Lines
DEPARTMENT FOR BUSINESS ENERGY AND INDUSTRIAL STRATEGY
THE OFFSHORE PETROLEUM PRODUCTION AND PIPE-LINES (ASSESSMENT OF ENVIRONMENTAL EFFECTS) REGULATIONS 1999 (AS AMENDED)
ENVIRONMENTAL STATEMENT DECISION AND GRANT OF CONSENT
VORLICH FIELD DEVELOPMENT
Pursuant to regulations 5A(7), 5A(8) and 16 of the above Regulations, the Secretary of State gives notice of agreement to the grant of consent given by the Secretary of State under regulation 5A of the above Regulations, and notice of the consent for the Vorlich field granted by the Oil and Gas Authority.
Having regard to the Environmental Statement (ES) of 4th April 2018 submitted under the above Regulations, the further information provided under regulation 10 of these Regulations and any representations received from consultees and in response to the public notice, the Secretary of State has assessed the project as not likely to have a significant effect on the environment and has agreed to the grant of consent. A summary of the Secretary of State’s decision and the relevant consent granted by the Oil and Gas Authority is detailed below.
| Reference | Operator | Project Name | Quad / Block | Agreement Decision Issued | Consent Granted |
| D/4209/2018 | BP Exploration Operating Co Ltd | Vorlich Field Development | 30/01 and 30/06 | 07/08/2018 | 20/09/2018 |
| OGA Consent Details | Consent for the development of and production from the Vorlich field (development and production consent) (Licence P1588 and P363) was granted by the Oil and Gas Authority (OGA) on 20th September 2018. The field development consists of two subsea production wells to be drilled and tied-back to the FPF-1 host installation through an 8” 10 km pipeline and associated infrastructure. | ||||
| Contents of the regulation 5A decision | Following review of the ES of 4th April 2018 for the proposed Vorlich field development and the comments received from consultees, BP Exploration Operating Company Limited (BP) was requested to provide further information. Following review of that further information provided on 6th July 2018 and 30th July 2018, the Secretary of State was content to approve the ES and to agree to the OGA granting the necessary consent. | ||||
| Main reasons and considerations on which the regulation 5A decision is based | The ES identified the physical presence of the drilling rig and subsea infrastructure, disturbance to the seabed, discharges to sea, atmospheric emissions, underwater noise, interaction with other users of the sea and accidental events as having the potential to result in an environmental impact. | ||||
| The environmental sensitivities and potential impacts were adequately discussed and assessed in the ES, and the Secretary of State is satisfied that the project will not have a significant adverse impact on the receiving environment, the living resources it supports, any protected habitats or species or other users of the sea. | |||||
| Summary of representations received | Responses to the ES of 4th April 2018 were received from the Joint Nature Conservation Committee, Marine Scotland, the Maritime and Coastguard Agency, the Ministry of Defence Infrastructure Organisation and the Northern Lighthouse Board. The ES was also subject to public notice. No representations on the proposals were received. | ||||
| Details of how representations received were taken into account | Comments on the ES were forwarded to BP and were addressed in the further information provided on 6th July 2018 and 30th July 2018. No representations against the proposals were received in response to the public notice, and the Secretary of State was content that the further information addressed all of the issues that were raised. | ||||
| Any environmental conditions | No environmental conditions were attached to the agreement to the OGA granting the necessary consent. | ||||
| Any mitigation measures or features | The proposals will be undertaken in line with best industry practice and in accordance with the commitments detailed in the ES. No significant adverse impacts are anticipated that would warrant additional mitigation measures. | ||||
| Any monitoring conditions | No significant adverse impacts are anticipated that would warrant additional monitoring conditions. | ||||
Further information in relation to the ES decision and a copy of this notice can be found at https://www.gov.uk/guidance/oil-and-gas-environmental-statements-reviewed.
Any person aggrieved by the grant of consent can apply to the court under regulation 16 of the above Regulations. The court may grant an order quashing the grant of consent where it is satisfied that the consent granted was in contravention of the requirements of regulation 5(4) or 5A(1)(a) of the above Regulations (consideration of environmental statement etc.) or that the interests of the applicant have been substantially prejudiced by any failure to comply with any other requirement of those Regulations. An application must be made within six weeks from the date that this notice is published in the Gazettes.
If you have any questions in relation to the notice or the decision, please contact the Environmental Management Team, Offshore Petroleum Regulator for Environment and Decommissioning (OPRED), AB1 Building, Crimon Place, Aberdeen AB10 1BJ (e-mail: BST@beis.gov.uk or Tel: 01224 254138).