Prevention of Pollution (Oil Storage) (Wales) Regulations

The Water Framework Directive (2000/60/EC) requires that water bodies achieve good ecological status by 2027. Tackling diffuse pollution is central to achieving this. Oil is one of the most significant pollutants of water in Wales and in many cases the pollution is the result of oil lost from inadequate storage facilities

The draft regulations set standards for oil storage facilities which aim to prevent the escape of oil and the resulting risk of water pollution and damage to land and property. The principal requirement will be for secondary containment to prevent any leaks from an oil storage facility escaping into the wider environment. These requirements would apply to all new oil storage facilities from the date the regulations come in to force which is expected to be early in 2016.

Existing domestic oil storage facilities will remain exempt until replaced. Facilities serving non-domestic properties will need to comply between 2 and 4 years later depending on the risk they pose to the environment.

We also propose to include agricultural fuel oil storage facilities which are currently covered by the Silage Slurry and Agricultural Fuel Oil Regulations 2010 in the scope of the regulations. This will ensure a common standard applies to all oil storage in Wales but will remove an existing exemption for such storage which predates 1991.

Similar regulations already apply in Scotland, England and Northern Ireland.