The activities regulations § 68b

§ 68b Movement of masses

Intentional movement of masses at the seabed necessary to carry out offshore petroleum activities may take place without a special permit if:
  1. the activity is carried out in an area where there is no risk that vulnerable environmental values may be adversely affected,
  2. the activity does not affect contaminated sediments.
The movement of masses must be carried out in such a way that the impact on the surrounding areas is minimised.
The operator shall document where and how the movement of masses has been carried out, cf. Section 23 of the Framework Regulations.
Section last changed: 01 January 2025

The operator must obtain a permit from the Norwegian Environmental Agency for petroleum activities under Chapter 3 of the Pollution Control Act (in Norwegian only). Application for permit under the Pollution Control Act is subject to Chapter 36 of the Pollution Control Regulations (in Norwegian only), and a fee is fixed for the Environmental Agency’s processing relating to applications for permits pursuant to Chapter 39 of the Pollution Control Regulations (in Norwegian only).
The regulations’ general requirements for the petroleum activities on the continental shelf apply to all operators. The permits under the Pollution Control Act will normally contain conditions that are specific and adapted to each activity. Chapter 36 of the Pollution Control Regulations (in Norwegian only) gives further provisions on the processing of permits under the Pollution Control Act. The Norwegian Environment Agency has described further expectations for the content of applications and expected processing time in the Guidelines for applications regarding offshore petroleum activities: https://www.miljodirektoratet.no/ansvarsomrader/forurensning/petroleum/for-naringsliv/soknadsveileder-petroleum/. Chapter 39 of the Pollution Control Regulations (in Norwegian only) gives provisions for fees for work with permits.
Intentional movement of masses at the sea floor that does not satisfy the requirements of this section must be covered by a permit pursuant to the Pollution Control Act. In cases of doubt, the Norwegian Environment Agency decides whether a permit is required.
Intentional movement of masses includes traditional dredging to alter the bottom topography or remove contaminated seabed, and the movement of masses as part of construction activities. This includes all removal/relocation of sediment for the placement of facilities and equipment on the seabed.
In this context, vulnerable environmental values are particularly habitat types on the Norwegian Red List for habitat types, such as coral reefs and coral forests, sponge and sea poultry communities on OSPAR's list of threatened and/or declining habitats, as well as bottom-dwelling fish such as sand eels.
The operator must be able to document the assessments made to comply with the requirements in first subsection litera a and b. The documentation shall be available to the Norwegian Environment Agency upon request, cf. the Framework Regulations Section 23 last subsection.