Environmental Code

What matters for an oil & gas company

• Facilities are split into four categories by level of impact; hydrocarbon production and processing and offshore hydrocarbon exploration are Category I (significant impact).
• Since 2025 operating a Category I facility requires a comprehensive environmental permit based on best available techniques (BAT) — facilities commissioned before 1 July 2021 may keep an environmental impact permit unless reconstructed; Category II needs an environmental impact permit and Category III files a declaration.
• Environmental impact assessment, with screening and public hearings, is mandatory for activities listed in the Code and for others where screening requires it.
• Installations whose greenhouse-gas emissions exceed the thresholds are subject to carbon quotas and trading in carbon units.
• Operators must remediate environmental damage and liquidate the consequences of operating a facility after it closes; Category I operators must provide financial security for these liquidation obligations.