The Oil and Gas Authority has received significant support from industry to create the United Kingdom’s first oil and gas National Data Repository (NDR), to be launched in early 2019. The NDR will preserve, regulate and provide greater access to the country’s collection of valuable petroleum-related information. Implementing the NDR is regarded by the OGA as an important commitment in fulfilling a key recommendation of the Wood Maximising Recovery Review, by ensuring ready access to timely and transparent data to help maximise the recovery of economically recoverable petroleum. The future NDR will support regulatory compliance as well as providing a rich resource of comprehensive data for analysis, which will help drive inward investment, new technologies and exploration activity. The OGA continues to make more data and information openly available as soon as possible to improve the commercial, operational and technical performance of the UK oil and gas industry. The OGA has enhanced and redesigned the popular Open Data Centre which is now available providing user friendly and free access to a wide range of data. Users can view, map, style, chart, download and share data (under the terms and conditions set out in the Open Government Licence, unless otherwise stated). A consultation, carried out last year, sought views on establishing and maintaining the NDR, which would be funded through the OGA levy, payable by all offshore petroleum licence holders. The OGA’s response to the consultation, published today, documents the response from licensees, trade associations, service providers and academia. It shows most respondents are supportive of funding the NDR through the levy, with 28 out 32 respondents backing the proposal. Nic Granger, director of corporate at the OGA said: “Having a UK NDR is vital to unlocking the huge prize of the United Kingdom Continental Shelf’s potential 10-20 billion barrels of resources. The OGA is committed to creating an environment where enhanced and trusted data can deliver extra value for our sector, and achieve maximum economic recovery from the UK.” Simon James, chief information officer at the OGA added: “The UK NDR, supported by proposed new regulations on petroleum-related information and samples will enhance industry collaboration, preserve and protect valuable data, and help create the conditions to drive investment and new technologies.” Malcolm Fleming, chief executive of Common Data Access Limited (CDA) added: “The effective collection and availability of well, seismic and other petroleum-related information is crucial to unlocking the significant remaining hydrocarbon potential of the UKCS. The UK NDR will play a central role in this and is a natural and very positive development for UKOilandGasData and for CDA. We are pleased that the necessary funding and regulatory mechanisms are being put in place for its sustainable future.” To deliver the initial phase of the NDR, the OGA plans to enter into a two year contract with Common Data Access Limited (a wholly owned subsidiary of Oil & Gas UK), for the provision of NDR services, based on its existing data store and legacy data collection. In subsequent phases, the OGA will undertake a procurement for new NDR services, with a planned contract award in mid-2020 and service expected to commence in January 2021. Ends For more information, please contact Tracey Miller, communications manager at the OGA: Tel: 0300 020 1072 ¦ Email: Tracey.Miller@ogauthority.co.uk Notes for editors
The UK's Oil and Gas Authority has been given support from the industry to pursue the creation of an oil and gas National Data Repository (NDR). The NDR aims to provide a database of petroleum-related information, and will offer analysis, driving investment in new technologies. The Oil and Gas Authority will engage in a two-year partnership with one of its subsidiaries, Common Data Access Limited.