Safety rules for offshore oil and gas exploration and production

Automatic summary, not yet reviewed

1. This rule sets minimum safety requirements for offshore hydrocarbon exploration and production operations, to prevent major accidents and limit their consequences. It incorporates into Spanish law EU Directive 2013/30/UE, whose late transposition exposed Spain to financial penalties.
2. It creates the figure of the offshore operator, who bears primary responsibility for safety, and requires license and concession holders to prove technical and financial capacity and provide a guarantee covering environmental liabilities. The competent authority may object to the proposed operator.
3. Operations cannot start or resume until ACSOMACSOM Competent Authority for the Safety of Offshore Operations in hydrocarbons matters, the body that oversees the safety of these projects. accepts the report on major accident risks. That report is reviewed every five years and must be accompanied by an internal emergency plan and an independent verification of the project design.
4. ACSOM is the authority that oversees compliance and may require improvements and suspend or ban operations if safety is not guaranteed. It must act independently and free of conflicts of interest, and until it is set up (or there are fewer than six installations) its functions are performed by several ministries.
5. A penalty system is established with fines of up to €600,000 for minor offenses, €6 million for serious ones and €30 million for very serious ones, which can also lead to the termination of licenses and concessions. Spanish companies operating outside the European Union must report major accidents in which they are involved.
6. Holders and operators with existing licenses and concessions, and existing installations, must adapt to the rule within six months of its entry into force, which is the same day it is published in the Official State Gazette (Boletín Oficial del Estado).

Who it affects

• Holders of offshore hydrocarbon exploration licenses and production concessions: They must prove technical and financial capacity, provide environmental guarantees and answer if the operator fails to comply.
• Offshore operators and owners of non-production installations: They bear primary safety responsibility, prepare risk reports and emergency plans, and may suspend activities over risk.
• Installation workers and their contractors: Their representatives are consulted when preparing the risk report and can use ACSOM's confidential reporting channel.
• Ministries with relevant powers: They perform ACSOM's functions until it is established, when there are six or more installations.

Words worth knowing

Título demanial

License or concession granting the right to explore for or produce hydrocarbons in a given area.

ACSOM

Competent Authority for the Safety of Offshore Operations in hydrocarbons matters, the body that oversees the safety of these projects.

Informe sobre riesgos de accidentes graves

Report on major accident risks and the measures to prevent them or limit their effects; ACSOM must accept it.

Verificador independiente

Independent technical auditor who reviews the project design and flags any risks not fully addressed.

Medio marino

Spain's internal waters, territorial sea, exclusive economic zone and continental shelf, including the seabed and its subsoil.

It summarizes the law as published in the BOE. It is written by artificial intelligence and may contain mistakes: the official text is what counts. Read the official text · How we make summaries