Tougher Regime Starts for UK Upstream

Companies active on the UK Continental Shelf will have to work harder on stewardship as the upstream regulator Oil & Gas Authority (OGA) published new guidance March 15. They will have to demonstrate that they are ready for net-zero carbon production at every stage in a project's life-cycle.

In 2016 the OGA designed stewardship guidance in consultation with industry, since which time the environmental focus has sharpened.

The 11th iteration of this guidance pushes industry faster and farther in reducing its carbon footprint, or it will risk losing the social licence to operate. The OGA says the guidance "cements revised OGA strategy into operators’ everyday activities."

It said: “Our stewardship expectations have been tried and tested over the years, and this latest addition is another step on the OGA’s journey of integrating net zero into everything we do. This expectation brings to life the practical, tangible actions operators must take to implement our revised strategy into their everyday work."

The guidance covers the life-cycle of an upstream project, beginning with an indicative evaluation of the GHG emissions impact of the work at the licence stage and ending with the approach to decommissioning. The guidance may be read here.