Summary
The environmental permits and permissions you need for onshore oil and gas exploration and extraction in England.
Oil and gas companies, their service companies and consultants should use this guidance to understand:
- the environmental permits you need for onshore oil and gas operations in England
- other permissions you may need from the Environment Agency
- information about best available techniques you must use
This guide covers these onshore oil and gas activities:
- constructing a well pad
- drilling wells
- flow testing and well stimulation, including hydraulic fracturing
- storing and handling crude oil
- managing waste gases, including flaring
- handling, storing and disposing of produced waters and flowback fluid
- managing extractive wastes
- extracting coal mine methane
It does not cover these activities:
- underground coal gasification
- exploring, appraising or producing minerals other than oil and gas
Contents
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Permits, licences and other permissions you will need to carry out onshore oil and gas activities.
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Mining waste permits, waste management plans and extra requirements you must comply with if you have a mining waste facility.
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Onshore oil and gas and installations permits for storing and handling crude oil, treating effluents and operating flares.
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When you need a radioactive substances activity permit for onshore oil and gas activities, types of radioactive waste and out of scope naturally occurring radioactive material (NORM) values.
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Groundwater activity and water discharge activity permits for onshore oil and gas sites, groundwater exclusions, and protecting groundwater sources.
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Pre-application advice for onshore oil and gas permits, forms to use, how to define your site, consultation and timings for your application.
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Classifying and coding extractive waste for onshore oil and gas activities and best available techniques (BAT) for managing extractive waste.
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Permitting of flares at onshore oil and gas sites, EU emissions trading system (ETS) and flares, and best available techniques (BAT) to design and operate the flaring system.
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BAT for the storage and handling of crude oil at onshore oil and gas sites.
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BAT for treating effluents at onshore oil and gas sites.
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When you can re-inject produced water and reuse flowback fluid in onshore oil and gas operations or transfer produced water to another operator.
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When you need to provide sub-surface information and the type of information you need to provide.
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Developing a monitoring programme, baseline monitoring and site condition reports for onshore oil and gas activities.
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What you must comply with when decommissioning boreholes at oil and gas sites.