The North Sea Transition Authority (NSTA) sought views from the UK oil and gas and carbon storage industries on proposals to amend some of its existing fees and introduce new fees for some of its services.
A consultation opened on 19 July 2022 and closed on 9 September 2022, to gather feedback and insights from industry on potential changes to the NSTA’s fee regime. The NSTA regularly reviews the fees that it charges. As well as reviewing the rates of existing fees, the NSTA also considers the rationale for and calculation of each fee to ensure they remain robust and in line with the principles and guidance as set out in HM Treasury’s Managing Public Money. The intention of any proposed fee amendments is to more accurately reflect the actual costs of the services it provides. The NSTA is not permitted to make any profit from its fees and is required to refund any financial surplus at the end of the year to levy payers.
The consultation on the well data confidentiality period centred on whether the data should be made publicly available two years after it is provided to the NSTA (as is now the case) or two years after the date that it becomes reportable to the NSTA.