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The NSTA has day-to-day operational independence from the The Department for Energy Security and Net Zero (DESNZ - previously known as the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS)) and undertakes its activities in accordance with all applicable laws and regulations

The NSTA regulates and influences the UK’s oil, gas and carbon storage industries to ensure the economic recovery of oil and gas and meet the 2050 net zero emissions target set by the Secretary of State.

Our focus is to ensure that fields are managed to ensure economic recovery of hydrocarbons, whilst supporting the drive to net zero carbon by 2050, in line with individual field development plans.

The Asset Stewardship Taskforce (ASTF) works to support the NSTA Strategy, in respect of both production and net zero obligations by improving asset stewardship in the UK Continental Shelf area.

Carbon Capture and Storage (CCS) is critical to the UK achieving net zero.  Government aims to capture and store 20-30 million tonnes of CO2 per year by 2030 and over 50 million tonnes per year by 2035. 

An Area Plan is a cross licence/ cross Hub collaborative framework to ensure economic recovery of oil and gas, whilst supporting the drive to net zero carbon by 2050, in a particular geographical area of the UKCS, based on the analysis of evidence.

Benchmarking industry performance continues to play a significant role in driving industry improvements, and the NSTA has, since 2020, introduced benchmarking of performance to track progress towards net zero.