Definition(s)
Extraction Of Minerals By Boreholes
This includes all extraction operations at a borehole site, for oil, natural gas, coal bed methane and other minerals existing in their natural strata. It includes boreholes used for the storage of gas in natural strata reservoirs from which oil, natural gas or coal bed methane has previously been extracted. It does not include extraction of landfill gas.
It also includes ancillary operations associated with extraction such as injection of water or gas from the surface to an underground reservoir, maintenance work and on-site operations associated with the preparation of the extracted minerals for sale. It also includes boreholes used to construct underground storage facilities where minerals are to be extracted through the borehole, for example in the construction of caverns in salt formations by solution mining. Preparation of minerals includes simple operations to separate water and gas from well fluids and to stabilise well fluids prior to transport from a borehole site. It does not include processing of minerals.
Source: A Guide to the Borehole Sites and Operations Regulations 1995, Guidance on Regulations (UK HSE L72), Second Edition, 2008. Regulatory Guidance