Question reference: S5W-15548
- Asked by: Alexander Burnett, MSP for Aberdeenshire West, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
- Date lodged: 21 March 2018
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Current status: Answered by Roseanna Cunningham on 12 April 2018
Question
To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S5W-14829 by Roseanna Cunningham on 8 March 2018, how much it estimates it will cost for an oil storage facility to comply with the regulations; what information it has regarding how many sites (a) comply and (b) do not comply with these, and what its position is on extending the deadline to comply for members of the Federation of Petroleum Suppliers.
Answer
SEPA has offered advice and provided a checklist to assist operators in carrying out a compliance assessment. Until such times as this process is carried out SEPA will not have an indication of the number of licences required.
Those sites which are compliant with the general binding rules (GBRs) will incur no cost. Those which are not compliant with GBRs will initially be subject to the licence application cost. Any further cost will be dependent on the level of improvement required in the Asset Improvement Plan, as agreed between SEPA and the operator.
Following discussion, on 8 March, with sector representatives which included FPS, there was agreement that there would be a relaxation on the date for the submission of Asset Improvement Plans from the previously stated 9 months to 12 months from the date of issue of the licence. Within the licence a mutual timescale for the actual improvements to be carried out will be agreed between SEPA and the operator.