A new quicker, easier and more cost-effective method of reporting seismic data to the National Data Repository (NDR) will help in the search for undiscovered hydrocarbons and potential sites for carbon storage.

Premier Oil has uploaded data from its 2019 Tolmount 3D seismic survey, becoming the first company to use the new Secure File Transfer Protocol (SFTP) method to report 3D seismic data to the Oil & Gas Authority (OGA).

The processed Tolmount data has been immediately published by the OGA, with agreement from Premier Oil and Dana Petroleum, to encourage download and reuse of an up-to-date dataset.

The OGA expects that companies will increasingly use the SFTP service as it enables them to fulfil their seismic reporting obligations online, without the need to transcribe large data volumes to portable disks, which can be time-consuming and expensive.

The NDR launched in March 2019 with over 130 terabytes of information including over 5,000 seismic surveys and new data is continually being added.

It currently attracts around 350 visitors a day; users obtained some 320 terabytes of disclosed content in the first year of operation – marking the transformation in access to petroleum-related information.

The NDR has already proved to be a vital tool in helping to maximise economic recovery from the UK Continental Shelf as the availability of data is enabling companies to make better decisions in areas such as exploration and investment.

It is also supporting the drive to net zero as the information – some of it dating back to the mid-Sixties – can now be reassessed to help determine whether subsurface resources could be used for carbon storage.

Nic Granger, OGA Director of Corporate, said:

“The SFTP allows seismic data to be uploaded much more easily, so companies will save time and money in fulfilling their obligations.

“The OGA is actively encouraging companies to use this facility, lessening their need for storage and providing a valuable resource for exploration and carbon storage.”

 

Notes to Editors

  • The Oil & Gas Authority became an Executive Agency on 1 April 2015, and became a government company, limited by shares under the Companies Act 2006, with the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy the sole shareholder on 1 October 2016.
  • The National Data Repository

For more information contact simon.belgard@nstauthority.co.uk or call 0300 067 1610