Pipelines Act 2005

A licensee may decommission part of a pipeline with the consent of the Minister.

The Minister may require the licensee to prepare a plan that provides for the decommissioning of that part of the pipeline (a decommissioning plan) before giving his or her consent.

If the Minister has required the licensee to prepare a decommissioning plan—

the licensee must—

prepare the plan in accordance with the regulations; and

include in the plan the prescribed information; and

the Minister must not give his or her consent to the decommissioning of that part of the pipeline unless the Minister is satisfied with that plan.

Without limiting subsection (2), the Minister must not unreasonably refuse to give his or her consent.

The Minister may still give his or her consent to the decommissioning of that part of the pipeline even if he or she is not satisfied with the decommissioning plan that has been prepared if the failure of the licensee to prepare the plan to the satisfaction of the Minister was the result of one or more events beyond the control of the licensee.