The Oil and Gas Authority (OGA) is seeking views from the UK oil and gas industry on the Reporting and Disclosure of certain Geophysical Survey Data created or acquired under an Exploration Licence.
Due to changes in legislation, the guidance on the release of such data is split into two parts:
- data acquired before 2018 (“pre-2018”)
- data acquired after 2017 (“post-2017”)
The OGA believes that the availability of Geophysical Survey Data is critical in unlocking the remaining value in the UKCS and meeting the MER UK goals. To meet these goals, data acquired under an Exploration Licence need to be incorporated in a system of continuous disclosure, which will lead to an increase in the reworking of legacy data as well as stimulate the acquisition of new data, to the benefit of the whole industry. The two proposals presented here sets out the mechanisms for the disclosure of data acquired under an Exploration Licence.
A 30-day consultation period opens on 27 March 2019. OGA welcomes industry views on the disclosure guidance. The timetable for this consultation process is
- 27 March 2019 – Consultation period starts
- 27 April 2019 – End of Consultation period
- 27 May 2019 – OGA present written responses to the feedback.
The consultation details can be found here.