Information and Samples Requirements under Seaward Licence Terms
Petroleum Operations Notice (PON) 9 sets out the NSTA’s requirements for retention and reporting of information and physical samples under the terms of seaward licences issued under the 1998 Petroleum Act. It also explains how the NSTA will disclose information and samples under licence terms.
PON 9 should be understood in the context of the Energy Act 2016 regulations on information and samples (which were commenced in 2018) and the guidance documents on retention, reporting and disclosure published to support those regulations.
Whereas this Energy Act guidance sets out the NSTA’s requirements from 2018 onwards, PON 9 covers requirements for older pre-2018 wells and surveys and from licences that were surrendered before the new Energy Act 2016 regulations commenced.
Where practical it is the NSTA’s intention to move towards exclusive use of the new powers under the 2016 Act. However, as there is a large amount of information and samples associated with the many decades of drilling, geophysical survey acquisition and other licence activity on the UKCS, PON 9 will continue to have relevance for the foreseeable future.