Reporting and disclosure of information

The NSTA initially holds all reported information in confidence; no information will be disclosed until the relevant disclosure date is reached, although under EA2016 some “summary information” in relation to wells and surveys can be disclosed immediately it is received by the NSTA.

In the case of wellbores disclosed under PA1998, information from those drilled under licences awarded up to and including the 19th licensing round may be disclosed by the NSTA 4 years after the regulatory completion date of the wellbore.

The NSTA may disclose information relating to wellbores drilled under licences that were awarded from the 20th licensing round onwards 3 years from the regulatory completion date of the wellbore, or upon full licence determination.

As set out in PON9, operators have 6 months from the wellbore regulatory completion date in which to provide the NSTA with the required information.

EA2016 regulations for information and samples are enforced from 1 January 2018; from then onwards information relating to all wellbores (regardless of the associated licence round) is generally required to be reported within 6 months of the regulatory completion date.

The NSTA may disclose such information 2 years after it has been reported or on surrender of the relevant licence area (but note that the whole licence does not need to be determined).

In short:

Exclusions to this include where the associated acreage is relinquished, at which point the wellbore information becomes disclosable.

Guidance on the disclosure of information and samples that are reported in response to a section 34 reporting notice can be found here:

Guidance on reporting disclosure

Offshore seismic data that has been acquired on a Production Licence is made available through the NDR. This may otherwise be known as “Proprietary” data, because it is usually acquired by, or on behalf of, a production licensee, and is the intellectual property of the licensee.

For data that was acquired before 1st January 2018, the PA1998 licence terms apply and for data that was acquired from 1 January 2018 onwards, EA2016 regulations apply.

In the case of geophysical surveys acquired under PA1998, information from those acquired under licences awarded up to and including the 19th licensing round may be disclosed by the NSTA 4 years after the end of the year in which the survey was acquired.

The NSTA may disclose information relating to surveys acquired under licences that were awarded from the 20th licensing round onwards 3 years from the end of the year of acquisition, or if the full licence is determined and the survey is entirely within the licence boundaries, the data may be disclosed.

Under EA2016, disclosure may occur 5 years from the date on which processing was completed. If the licence is partly relinquished and the survey is entirely within the surrendered acreage, the data may be disclosed.

In short:

Guidance on the disclosure of information and samples that are reported in response to a section 34 reporting notice is available here:

Guidance on reporting disclosure

This flowchart outlines disclosure of information acquired under a production licence:

Offshore geophysical data that has been acquired on an Exploration Licence is made available through the NDR. This may otherwise be known as “Commercial”, “Multiclient” or “Speculative/Spec” data; it is usually acquired by a commercial geophysical company for the purposes of sale to clients. Rights to the information may be licenced to multiple clients while the information remains the intellectual property of the exploration licensee. Other companies, including Oil and Gas companies, may also hold Exploration Licences. Survey information that is acquired pursuant to any exploration licence is treated in the same way, regardless of the type of organisation holding the licence.

For data that was acquired before 1st January 2018, the PA1998 licence terms apply and for data that was acquired from 1 January 2018 onwards, EA2016 regulations apply.

PA1998 licence terms allow for disclosure of information after shorter confidentiality periods than is the case for information that is caught by the EA2016 regulations. However, at this time, for clarity and in the best interests of the majority of stakeholders, the NSTA considers that all geophysical information acquired under an Exploration Licence should be disclosed in accordance with the longer confidentiality periods set out in the EA2016 regulations, regardless of under which licensing regime it was acquired.

Accordingly, the NSTA may disclose “original” information relating to surveys acquired under exploration licences 15 years from the date on which processing was completed. “Processed” information may be disclosed 10 years from the date on which processing was completed.

In short:

Guidance on the disclosure of geophysical survey data acquired pursuant to an exploration licence is available here:

Reporting and Disclosure of Information and Samples: Guidance - on the disclosure of certain Geophysical Survey Data (created or acquired under an Exploration Licence post-2017)

Reporting and Disclosure of Information and Samples: Guidance - on the disclosure of certain Geophysical Survey Data (created or acquired under an Exploration Licence pre-2018)

This flowchart outlines disclosure of information acquired under an exploration licence:

Production Licence data: Users of the NDR may raise a “Missing Seismic Data Request” through the NDR web interface for geophysical information that was acquired on a production licence. The names of offshore production licences begin with the letter P, followed by up to four numbers. Your request will be referred to the NSTA’s Compliance team for consideration and a response.

Exploration Licence data: Enquirers may request publication of Pre-2018 geophysical data acquired under and exploration licence using this form. The names of offshore exploration licences begin with the letter E, followed by up to three numbers. Your request will be referred to the NSTA’s Exploration and New Ventures team for consideration and a response.

Any enquiries in relation to the services set out above should be directed to our NDR team ndr@nstauthority.co.uk