The Department of Industry, Science and Resources (DISR) has opened a public consultation on the draft regulations, cost recovery implementation statement and guideline for the offshore electricity infrastructure framework.
The Offshore Electricity Infrastructure Act 2021 and the Offshore Electricity Infrastructure (Regulatory Levies) Act 2021 will commence by 2 June 2022. The Acts will establish a regulatory framework for offshore electricity infrastructure in Australian waters.
The Australian Government will release the regulations in stages. DISR is currently seeking input on the exposure drafts of the first set of regulations. They set out arrangements for the:
DISR is also seeking feedback on the proposed cost recovery. The modelling for the fees and levies covers the anticipated government costs to implement and operate the framework. This includes:
Assigned staff in the NOPTA branch of DISER will assist the Offshore Infrastructure Registrar to administer the licensing scheme, maintain the Register of Offshore Infrastructure Licences, and support ongoing licence compliance. This function is separately cost recovered to NOPTA.
The consultation period is open until 22 April 2022. For more details, please visit https://consult.industry.gov.au/oeif-regulations-and-cost-recovery.
