Search

The Oil Taxation Act 1975 states that all fields are to be “determined” by a boundary drawn around them. A proposed determination of a field must be made before the NSTA can consent to a Field Development Plan (FDP).

Under the model clauses applicable to a seaward production licence, licensees require the NSTA’s consent to erect or carry out permanent works for the purpose of getting or conveying petroleum from a licensed area.

The NSTA estimates that there is potential for up to 3.8 trillion cubic feet (tcf) of remaining gas resources within the Southern North Sea (SNS), inclusive of infill opportunities, undeveloped discoveries and prospects.

The development and operation of fields extending beyond the limits of the UKCS, or fields wholly on one or another Continental Shelf which require the development of new transboundary pipeline infrastructure or wells and control facilities.

One of the key actions of the Wood Report was that Government and Industry should together create an up-to-date, readily accessible, digital perspective on the prospectivity and geology of the UKCS. 

An Area Plan is a cross licence/ cross Hub collaborative framework to ensure economic recovery of oil and gas, whilst supporting the drive to net zero carbon by 2050, in a particular geographical area of the UKCS, based on the analysis of evidence.

West of Shetland Area Plans

The NSTA regulates the licensing of exploration and development of England’s onshore oil and gas resources, and it has strict controls in place to ensure that operators manage the risk of induced seismicity from such operations.