Offshore staff
LONDON – Britain’s Oil and Gas Authority has renamed itself the North Sea Transition Authority (NSTA) to reflect its role in the UK’s energy transition.
This follows the authority’s decision last year’s to focus on net zero alongside stewarding the UK’s offshore oil and gas production, and the North Sea Transition Deal between government and industry on the future path that the UK’s oil and gas industry should follow.
NSTA’s role has expanded to include serving as Britain’s carbon storage license and permitting authority, monitoring of emissions, assessing a net zero test for new field developments, and stewarding domestic production.
Oil and gas currently provide about 75% of the UK’s energy needs and will remain critical to the energy mix for some time to come, NSTA said, with current global and geopolitical events showing that security of supply remains important.
Specific NSTA workstreams include:
* Licensing and stewarding new oil and gas developments from licensing to production
* Monitoring industry greenhouse gas emissions in line with the North Sea Transition Deal
* Encouraging platform electrification projects in the Central North Sea and West of Shetland
* As the licensing authority for carbon storage, stewarding projects through development and supporting the government’s CCS deployment pathway
* Providing data required to assist identification of suitable locations for oil and gas exploration, carbon storage and other projects
* Working with industry to support improved environmental, social and governance reporting
* Leading studies to assess the potential for hydrogen power and carbon storage in hubs such as Bacton, eastern England
* Pushing for offshore energy integration to strengthen links between oil and gas and renewables.
3/21/2022
