The North Sea Transition Authority (NSTA) has named 13 operators that have fallen behind on their decommissioning obligations for inactive wells, releasing its first…
The North Sea Transition Authority (NSTA) has named 13 operators that have fallen behind on their decommissioning obligations for inactive wells, releasing its first public table on North Sea decommissioning arrears.
The table lists companies that have missed consent deadlines for fully decommissioning 153 inactive wells, spread from West of Shetland to the Southern North Sea and the East Irish Sea, with the largest concentration in the Central North Sea.
Another nine licensees, operating a total of 780 wells, were reported to be in full compliance.
The publication follows a transparency consultation that proposed naming companies at the start of an investigation instead of only after sanctions are imposed, and making information public on operators that have fallen behind on decommissioning duties.
The overall WONS consent status for operators with inactive wells to be decommissioned, as of October 28, 2025 (Credit: Screenshot/NSTA report)
The requirement for inactive wells to hold a valid NSTA consent is set out in the regulator’s guidance. Wells are considered out of consent if the operator has not received a valid consent or fails to decommission within the approved timeframe.
“The number of wells in this table demonstrates the size of the task facing
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