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The North Sea Transition Authority is committed to ensuring the economic recovery of UK oil and gas and to enabling the achievement of the UK Government’s commitment to reach net zero emissions by 2050.

This page contains information regarding the Annual Consents Exercise (“ACE”) in the following sections: 

The NSTA grants licences that confer exclusive rights to ‘search and bore for and get petroleum’.

The Investigations & Enforcement Team sits within the NSTA's Regulation Directorate to address disputes between relevant persons and compliance with regulatory obligations.

The NSTA regulates offshore carbon dioxide storage – we are the licensing authority and approve and issue storage permits – and maintains the carbon storage public register.

The NSTA is the regulator for flaring and venting under the Energy Act 1976 (as amended by the Energy Act 2016) and the Petroleum Act 1998

Licences fall into several categories. The principal distinctions are between onshore licences and offshore licences, with a further distinction between exploration licences.