National Hydrocarbons Data Archive files now accessible through the National Data Repository

In an effort to streamline petroleum licence information management, data from the National Hydrocarbons Data Archive (NHDA) has been transferred from BGS to the National Data Repository (NDR), which is hosted by the North Sea Transition Authority (NSTA). 

The NHDA was a system managed by BGS on behalf of the former Department of Trade and Industry and Department of Energy and Climate. It held geoscientific data from operators requesting relief from their data management and storage obligations. These Government departments and systems have been superseded by NSTA, which has created the NDR to make its data assets openly available to registered users. The transfer of this data ensures users can freely access all data relating to petroleum licences in one place.

The data includes offshore surveys, well data and some seismic survey information, all of which are now freely accessible to download. The data could support a range of purposes, from use cases in traditional exploration and production to applications in the energy transition such as carbon storage and offshore wind.

The NSTA and BGS collaboration has enabled the formulation of plans for NHDA’s decommissioning after nearly two decades of operation.

This initiative reflects both organisations’ ongoing commitment to improving access to data to enable the UK’s energy transition, while maintaining energy security.

Nic Granger, NSTA Director of Corporate.

By working collaboratively with NSTA, we have enhanced access to this nationally important data archive to support the UK’s energy transition.

Emma Bee, head of the National Geoscience Data Centre.