Production volumes and the associated flaring and venting limits will once again come under close scrutiny as the Annual Consents Exercise (ACE) 2027 gets under way on 29 June 2026.
The North Sea Transition Authority (NSTA) expects to issue around 285 consents, roughly split across production, flaring and venting, all of which will come into effect from 1 January 2027.
The process ensures that all fields on the UK Continental Shelf have the necessary consents in place to be able to produce oil and gas. It also means that operators can meet regulatory obligations and commitments such as the North Sea Transition Deal, which includes emissions reductions targets.
The NSTA sets production limits in order to prevent basin erosion and maintain long-term reservoir performance and production.
Every application is reviewed to ensure compliance with requirements including:
- DESNZ Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) Regulations (2020), in particular the approval by the Secretary of State of project activity as defined under the EIA Regulations
- Industry commitments under the North Sea Transition Deal to eliminate routine flaring
- To reduce overall emissions of greenhouse gases by 50% by 2030
NSTA stewardship including the ACE process and, where necessary, enforcement action, alongside industry efforts has led to impressive cuts in emissions. The most recent Emissions Monitoring Report highlighted an overall reduction of over 30% since 2018 and noted that flaring activity, which is the second largest source of production emissions, dropped 4.8% in 2024 to the lowest level on record, and was 51% lower than in 2018.
The NSTA and DESNZ talked industry through the ACE process during a webinar on Thursday 25 June 2026.
Production consent applications will run from 29 June to 14 August 2026, with Flaring and Venting applications being open from 17 August to 11 September 2026.
Each application will then be carefully evaluated and consents awarded to run from 1 January 2027.