52.This section prohibits the following activities from being carried out, except in accordance with a licence granted under section 18:
storage of carbon dioxide with a view to its permanent disposal;
conversion of a natural feature (for example, a saline aquifer) for such storage;
exploration for a carbon dioxide storage site; and
establishment or maintenance of an installation for any of those purposes.
Temporary storage of carbon dioxide will also require a licence, if such temporary storage is an interim measure prior to its permanent disposal.
53.Subsection (3) sets out the area within which activities are subject to those controls. It consists of the territorial sea adjacent to the United Kingdom (the territorial sea extends 12 nautical miles from baselines established under the Territorial Sea Act 1987 (c. 49)), together with any area designated as a Gas Importation and Storage Zone (see section 1).