8.—(1) Before granting a storage permit the authority shall be satisfied that—
(a)the storage complex and the surrounding area have been sufficiently characterised and assessed in accordance with the criteria set out in Annex I to the Directive;
(b)no part of the storage complex extends beyond the territories of the member states;
(c)under the proposed conditions of use of the storage site, there is no significant risk of leakage or of harm to the environment or human health; and
(d)the conditions in paragraph (3) are met.
(2) For the purposes of paragraph (1)(b), the territory of a member state includes its exclusive economic zone and continental shelf within the meaning of Articles 55 and 76 of the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea(1).
(3) The conditions are that the proposed operator—
(a)is technically competent (including in the operation of environmental management systems), financially sound, and can be relied upon to carry out the functions of an operator; and
(b)has in place an appropriate programme of professional and technical development and training.
(4) Where more than one proposed storage site is contained within the same hydraulic unit, before granting a storage permit for either site the authority shall be satisfied that the requirements for the grant of such a permit can be met simultaneously.
(5) In considering the application for the storage permit, the authority may—
(a)approve the proposed monitoring plan; or
(b)require the applicant to make such modifications to it as the authority (after consulting the applicant) considers necessary,
and (if the permit is granted) the monitoring plan is the plan as so approved or modified.
(6) In considering the application for the storage permit, the authority may—
(a)approve the proposed corrective measures plan; or—
(b)require the applicant to make such modifications to it as the authority (after consulting the applicant) considers necessary,
and (if the permit is granted) the corrective measures plan is the plan as so approved or modified.
(7) If the authority is minded to grant a storage permit—
(a)the authority shall forward a draft of the proposed permit to the European Commission, together with any material taken into consideration that has not already been provided under regulation 7(4); and
(b)the authority shall before granting the permit consider any opinion on the draft that is issued under Article 10(1) of the Directive.
(8) If the authority is minded to grant a storage permit—
(a)the authority shall forward a draft of the proposed permit to the Department of the Environment; and
(b)the authority shall before granting the permit consider any opinion on the draft given by the Department of the Environment within one month of the date on which the draft permit was forwarded to it.
Cmnd. 8941