PART 3Retention of petroleum-related samples
Interpretation
8. In this Part, “production licence” means a licence to search and bore for, and get, petroleum.
Petroleum samples
9.—(1) Subject to paragraph (2), an offshore licensee who holds a production licence must retain any petroleum-related sample(1) of petroleum which is acquired during the drilling of a well.
(2) Where a petroleum-related sample of petroleum exceeds 1 litre, at least 1 litre of the sample must be retained.
Strata samples
10.—(1) Subject to paragraphs (2) and (3), an offshore licensee who holds a production licence must retain any petroleum-related sample of strata which is acquired during the drilling of a well.
(2) Where a petroleum-related sample—
(a)is a drill cutting, and
(b)exceeds 100 grams,
at least 100 grams of the sample must be retained.
(3) The obligation under paragraph (1) applies to any portion of a petroleum-related sample which is not provided to the OGA under section 34 of the Energy Act 2016.
(4) In this regulation, “drill cutting” means fragments of strata removed from a well during drilling.
Duration of retention
11. An offshore licensee who is required to retain a petroleum-related sample under regulations 9 or 10 must retain the sample until—
(a)where a sample of petroleum is not a gas, the earlier of—
(i)the date the sample, or any portion of it, is provided to the OGA under section 34 of the Energy Act 2016, or
(ii)the end of the period of six months beginning on the date the offshore licensee gives notice under the licence of the licensee’s intention to dispose of the sample;
(b)where a sample is of gas, the earlier of—
(i)the date the sample, or any portion of it, is provided to the OGA under section 34 of the Energy Act 2016, or
(ii)the end of the period of five days beginning on the date the offshore licensee gives notice under the licence of the licensee’s intention to dispose of the sample;
(c)where the sample is of strata, the later of—
(i)the end of the period of six months beginning on the date the offshore licensee gives notice under the licence of the licensee’s intention to dispose of the sample, or
(ii)the end of the period of five years beginning on the date the sample is acquired by or on behalf of the licensee.
“Offshore licensee” and “petroleum-related samples” are defined in sections 18 and 27 of the Energy Act 2016, respectively.