• 13 operators with a total of 153 wells in decom arrears
• Nine operators have 100% of their wells in consent compliance
• Enforcement action can be taken where appropriate
Thirteen operators who have fallen behind in their decommissioning obligations have been named in the North Sea Transition Authority’s (NSTA) first published table of the North Sea well decommissioning deficit.
The table displays operators who have missed their consent deadlines for fully decommissioning a total of 153 inactive wells, which are spread geographically from West of Shetland to the Southern North Sea and East Irish Sea, with the greatest concentration in the Central North Sea.
The table includes 22 operators of which nine licensees, operating a total of 780 wells, are in compliance with their consent deadlines.
This publication followed a Transparency Consultation which, among other proposals, suggested that companies should be named at the opening of an investigation, instead of only when sanctions are imposed as was previously the case, and that information about companies that have fallen behind in decommissioning obligations should be published.
The requirement for inactive wells to have a valid NSTA consent is set out in published guidance. An inactive well is classified as being out of consent if the operator has not applied for and been granted consent or if consent was granted, but the operator failed to decommission the well within the consented timeframe.
Pauline Innes, NSTA Director of Supply Chain and Decommissioning, said:
“The number of wells in this table demonstrates the size of the task facing industry.
“The NSTA is well aware of the potential cost, and the logistical difficulties, but while many operators are delivering, too many are failing to meet obligations. Delays can impact on cost and cause reputational damage.
“It is our expectation that companies will take immediate action to improve compliance, placing contracts with the supply chain for the wells that are overdue or applying for consents where none exist.”
The NSTA’s latest Decommissioning Cost and Performance Update, published in July 2025, estimated that £44bn remains to be spent on decommissioning North Sea infrastructure, with well plugging and abandonment making up about half of the total.
In the report, the NSTA warned operators that they must start tackling the backlog of wells to stop rigs leaving the North Sea and stave off billions of pounds of additional costs for themselves and taxpayers.
The report recognised that while some companies are meeting their regulatory duty to decommission wells, too many are falling behind.
The table published today is the first to be published and the NSTA will continue to work on the underlying data to refine further.
In total, there are almost 1,000 inactive wells in the North Sea which will need to be fully decommissioned, though many of those are within consent.
However, if operators don’t respond quickly, more deadlines will be missed, pushing operators into non-compliance, damaging the industry’s reputation, and depriving the supply chain of much needed work.
Operators face higher costs by deferring or delaying their plugging and abandonment (P&A) execution if they continue to keep the supply chain waiting for work, causing further reductions in rig availability as the rig owners seek opportunities overseas, and impacting the execution of subsequent decommissioning work activities.
The NSTA has taken a number of actions to support the industry in meeting decom obligations including creating TWIST – a database which provides access to data on well infrastructure, helping companies plan their decommissioning projects and quickly locate hard-to-find tools – launching a well P&A project to help identify campaign opportunities, and hosting a series of workshops, forums and P&A technology showcases to share experience and information.
The Pathfinder app has also proved its value in encouraging decommissioning as it contains information about available contracts and puts the supply chain in contact with operators who have upcoming decommissioning work, and the Decom Data Visibility Dashboard further supports that and highlights the type of work being planned.
Recently the NSTA announced that it had opened investigations into various companies over possible breaches of plug and abandon obligations.
The decision to make this information available was the view that visibility regarding the regulatory compliance of companies promotes confidence in the system and leads to greater compliance.
NSTA General Counsel and Company Secretary, Dr Russell Richardson said:
“Greater transparency is welcome. We hope that publishing this list today will encourage operators to continue working with us to ensure that they meet all their regulatory obligations and help to secure a level playing field on the North Sea.”
Notes to editors:
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