Final consultation on the proposed Environmental Liability Management Policy under the Hydrogen and Renewable Energy Act 2023

The South Australian government is developing an Environmental Liability Management Policy (proposed policy) to ensure that, by undertaking authorised operations under the Hydrogen and Renewable Energy Act 2023  (the Act), any environmental and rehabilitation liabilities arising from such operations are able to be satisfied.

Initial consultation on the proposed policy was held over a six-week period during the second half of 2025 and feedback was sought broadly on the policy design, policy operation and the framework for financial assurance requirements. The consultation attracted a moderate level of engagement from interested stakeholders and, where appropriate, feedback has been incorporated into the proposed policy.  View a summary of stakeholder feedback and the department's response (PDF, 682.0 KB)

At the time of the initial consultation the rehabilitation liability estimate (RLE) calculator, which is the recommended method for assessing rehabilitation liability under the proposed policy, was under development.

The construction of  the RLE calculator is now complete. The calculator has been developed by independent industry experts and incorporates a broad range of rehabilitation components and associated decommissioning and rehabilitation activities.

As part of this final consultation process, stakeholder feedback is sought on the RLE calculator and whether:

  • the calculator is producing decommissioning  and rehabilitation costs consistent with expectations
  • the calculator adequately covers all expected decommissioning and rehabilitation activities.

Stakeholders will also have an opportunity to provide feedback on the updated proposed policy and guidelines for agreements for decommissioning on non-designated land.

Making a submission

Email your submission to: DEM.EnergyRegulation@sa.gov.au

Submissions will close at 11:59 pm, Friday 19 June 2026

Next steps

The department will review all submissions, incorporating any feedback to finalise the RLE calculator, where appropriate. Final policy is to be published on the department's website in July and commence operation from August 2026.