Source: Environmental Protection Authority
An independent board of inquiry has approved Beach Energy Resources NZ (Kupe) Limited marine consent applications.
Beach Energy applied under the Exclusive Economic Zone and Continental Shelf (Environmental Effects) Act 2012 to drill up to two development wells in the Kupe field in the Taranaki Basin.
On 29 March 2023, the board of inquiry granted consent subject to conditions. Beach Energy must comply with a number of conditions outlined in the decision report, including a requirement to implement an environmental monitoring plan certified by the EPA and ensuring that marine discharges do not exceed the maximum volume or mass specified for each harmful substance.
A full list of conditions can be found in the decision report linked below.
In June 2022, the Minister for the Environment appointed a board of inquiry to consider and decide on Beach Energy’s marine consent and marine discharge consent applications.
Beach Energy’s applications were publicly notified and open for public submissions from June to July 2022. The board of inquiry received 81 submissions.
A two-day hearing to consider evidence and submissions took place in December 2022 in New Plymouth. The hearing was livestreamed, and submissions were made online and in person.
The notified marine consent application EEZ100021-1 will expire on 31 December 2030. EEZ100021-2, also a notified marine consent application, and EEZ100021-3, a non-notified marine consent, will expire on 31 December 2027.
