The Role of Private Actors in Offshore Energy: Shifting Models of Participation

Abstract

The role of private actors in the offshore energy industry has expanded with regard to both the law-making processes and the implementation of the relevant legal framework. This article critically examines the role private actors are playing in the offshore energy sector in order to delineate some trends in the ways in which private actors act and interact at the international level. It focuses in particular on instances where there is a delegation of regulatory powers or the implementation duties from the international and supranational level to the private actors. The article ultimately strives to identify which model(s) of participation by private actors the offshore energy sector is developing.