Access to information and samples

As recommended by the Wood Review, the NSTA aims to make information and samples publicly available as soon as possible.

Accordingly, the 2018 disclosure regulations shortened (in most cases) the length of time that information and samples can remain confidential. However, these new confidentiality periods will generally only apply from 2018 onwards; for legacy data, the rules for release under the 1998 Petroleum Act licence model clauses will still continue to apply.

Offshore technical information is made available either through the National Data Repository (NDR) or the NSTA’s Open Data pages. Samples are made available for inspection by the British Geological Survey (BGS).

Well data release agents will continue to make onshore well data available and value-added products from wells already released.

Full details of confidentiality periods under the licence model clauses and the Energy Act 2016 are available in Petroleum Operations Notice (PON) 9 and the NSTA’s Guidance on the Reporting and Disclosure of Information and Samples (available on the NSTA guidance pages)

If you have any questions about data access or issues relating to Information and Samples in general please contact NSTA technical services on TechData@nstauthority.co.uk

Contacts

  • For data viewing

    Digital information for offshore wells is now available through the National Data Repository (NDR) NDR registration is free. Please visit the NDR home page for information on how to register. 

    British Geological Survey

    The BGS have released well data for viewing on microfiche and on DVD.  Please contact:

    Scott Renshaw
    British Geological Survey
    Kingsley Dunham Centre
    Keyworth
    Nottingham NG12 5GG

    Tel: +44 (0) 115 9363228
    Email: kwcorestore@bgs.ac.uk  

    Please note the contacts above must only be used to make appointments to view data.

    General data enquiries

    NSTA Technical Data Services
    4th floor, 21 Bloomsbury Street
    London WC1B 3HF

    Tel: +44 (0) 300 067 1667
    Email:TechData@nstauthority.co.uk

  • To view core and samples for offshore and onshore wells

    Scott Renshaw
    British Geological Survey
    Kingsley Dunham Centre
    Keyworth
    Nottingham NG12 5GG

    Tel. +44 (0)115 9363228
    Email: kwcorestore@bgs.ac.uk  

    Regulations and application for examining/sampling well samples (MS Word Document, 58.3KB)

Data purchase

  • Well data

    The NSTA now discloses offshore well information directly from the NDR, however its appointed Data Release Agents continue to release onshore well data and have products available from offshore wells released up to January 2019:

    AGENT DATA TYPES WEBSITE AND TELEPHONE CONTACTS
    TGS (attn Alex Kurobasa)             Dukes Court, Duke Street, Woking, Surrey, GU21 5BH           United Kingdom Onshore logs and reports UKNS Facies Map Browser TGS-ASA website 
    Alex Kurobasa
    +44 (0) 1483 762620                         email: Alex.Kurobasa@tgs.com
    CGG Robertson (attn Bethan Newell) Tyn-y-coed, Llandudno, LL30 1SA   Onshore logs and reports, merged wireline logs,
    workstation-ready well logs, well attributes,
    core analysis database, geothermal database,
    Rw database    		 CGG Services Website 
    Bethan Newell
    +44 (0) 1492 581811 
    email: DMS.DigitalProducts@CGG.COM 
    IHS Markit (attn Robert Labrum) Enterprise House, Cirencester Road, Tetbury, Gloucestershire, GL8 8RX                      Onshore well logs and reports, merged wireline logs,
    merged well logs, workstation-ready well logs,
    well attributes, re-interpreted pressure data    		 IHS Markit Website 
    Robert Labrum
    +44 (0) 1666 501822 (direct)                +44 (0) 1666 501200 (Switchboard)
    email: robert.labrum@ihsmarkit.comemail: releaseddata@ihs.com    
    Exploration Geosciences Unit 4A Crown Yard, Bedgebury Road, Goudhurst, Kent, TN17 2QZ United Kingdom Discovery Digest Exploration Geosciences Website 
    e-mail info@expgeo.co.uk+44 (0) 1580 212080 (switchboard)

  • Seismic data

    Offshore proprietary seismic data is now made available through the NDR.  

    The NSTA has also published supplemental guidance for the reporting and disclosure of geophysical data acquired under an exploration licence. This guidance covers data acquired both pre-2018 and post-2017. Any requests for pre-2018 geophysical data that is eligible to be reported can be submitted to the NSTA using this form - “Pre-2018 Geophysical Data Request Form”

    A selection of pre-1992 2D seismic data and more recent offshore data is available from CGG Data Management Services (contact DMS.DigitalProducts@CGG.COM).

    Lynx Information Systems have released a selection of offshore surveys.

    Onshore seismic data

    The UK Onshore Geophysical Library, managed by Lynx Information Systems, releases onshore seismic data. Email  contact@ukogl.org.uk  or ring +44 (0) 208 780 2634 for further details

Access to Information and Samples