The Storage of Carbon Dioxide (Licensing etc.) (Scotland) Regulations 2011

Monitoring

This section has no associated Executive Note

2.—(1) The operator must carry out a programme of monitoring of the storage complex and injection facilities, for the purposes specified in sub-paragraph (3).

(2) Such monitoring must include (where possible) the monitoring of the CO2 plume and (where appropriate) of the surrounding environment.

(3) The purposes are—

(a)the comparison of the actual and modelled behaviour of the CO2 (and the naturally-occurring formation water) in the storage site;

(b)the detection of any significant irregularities;

(c)the detection of any migration of CO2;

(d)the detection of any leakage of CO2;

(e)the detection of any significant adverse effects on the surrounding environment, and in particular on—

(i)drinking water;

(ii)human populations; and

(iii)users of the surrounding biosphere;

(f)the assessment of the effectiveness of any corrective measures taken;

(g)updating the assessment of the safety and integrity, both short-term and long-term, of the storage complex (including the assessment of whether the stored CO2 will be completely and permanently contained).

(4) The monitoring must be based on the monitoring plan.

(5) The monitoring plan must be updated in accordance with Annex II to the Directive and in any event within five years of the approval of the original plan, in order to take account of—

(a)changes to the assessed risk of leakage;

(b)changes to the assessed risks to the environment and human health;

(c)new scientific knowledge; and

(d)improvements in best available technology.

(6) The updated plan must be submitted for approval by the authority.

(7) The authority may—

(a)approve that plan; or

(b)require the operator to make such modifications to it as the authority (after consulting the operator) considers necessary,

and the updated monitoring plan is the plan as so approved or modified.

(8) Sub-paragraphs (5) to (7) apply to the further updating of an updated plan as they apply to the updating of the original plan.