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    1. Regional Reports

    OGA adapting current UK North Sea priorities

    March 26, 2020
    Britain’s Oil & Gas Authority has issued statement concerning current negative developments and their impact on the UK oil and gas industry.
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    Offshore staff

    ABERDEEN, UK – Britain’s Oil & Gas Authority (OGA) has issued statement concerning current negative developments and their impact on the UK oil and gas industry.

    Chief executive Andy Samuel said the OGA remained focused on its role of working with industry and government to safeguard the UK’s energy supply and the thousands of jobs involved in helping to deliver it.

    “Maintaining our critical infrastructure is vital,” he said. “We’re working very closely with the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS) and HM Treasury on financial resilience, while supporting the work of industry and trade associations such as OGUK [Oil and Gas UK] on operational and logistical resilience…

    “The scale of the challenge is considerable, and the efforts of all parties are fixed on successfully navigating through this unprecedented period of uncertainty.

    “We at the OGA have swiftly re-prioritized in response to this evolving situation. Areas of immediate focus include: financial and operational resilience; operations and turnarounds; licence management; supply chain; and communication.”

    Among current actions and reprioritization:

    • The OGA will take a flexible approach to considering amendments to license timelines, and encourages operators to engage with the authority early on any specific requests.
    • Britain’s 32nd Offshore Licensing Round awards should go ahead this summer.
    • The OGA has de-prioritized offshore stewardship reviews, including only holding reviews with operators in relation to regulatory or materially significant matters.
    • It is working with operators and the supply chain to help secure timely payments.

    Samuel added: “We are continuing our program to integrate net zero considerations into our work because we know that the oil and gas industry can play a significant and leading role in helping the UK achieve this.

    “However, sensitive to the other immediate priorities facing the industry, we will implement this important net zero program in a way which is both considerate and flexible.”

    03/26/2020