Petroleum Act 1923

This section applies to a person (the responsible person) who—

holds a 1923 Act petroleum tenure on which there is a well, water observation bore or water supply bore drilled by or for the tenure holder or that has been transferred to the tenure holder, unless the well or bore has, under division 3, been transferred to someone else; or

holds a water monitoring authority on which there is a water observation bore drilled by or for the authority holder or that has been transferred to the authority holder, unless the bore has, under division 3, been transferred to someone else.

The responsible person must ensure the well or bore is decommissioned from use under this Act before—

the tenure or authority ends; or

the land on which the well or bore is located ceases to be in the area of the tenure or authority.

However, subsection (2) does not apply—

for land that under section 20 ceases to be in the area of an authority to prospect; or

for a well if—

a GHG tenure is granted; and

the GHG tenure’s area includes the well; and

the 1923 Act petroleum tenure holder and the GHG tenure holder have agreed in writing that the GHG tenure holder is to assume responsibility for the well; and

a copy of the agreement has been lodged.

For subsection (2), the well or bore is decommissioned from use under this Act only if—

it has been plugged and abandoned in the way prescribed under a regulation; and

for a bore—the decommissioning complies with the Water Act, sections 816 and 817; and

the responsible person has given the chief executive a notice, in the approved form, about the decommissioning of the well or bore.

Subsection (4)(b) applies only to the extent it is not inconsistent with subsection (4)(a).