Tuesday 23 March 2004

UKOOA Statement: Ofgem Consultation on Access to Offshore Information

Energy regulator Ofgem has announced today that it will consult on whether to introduce a derogation to Transcos Gas Transporters Licence which would allow Transco to accept confidentiality proposals to protect the information gas producers provide to the system operator.

Responding to the announcement, Malcolm Webb, Chief Executive of the UK Offshore Operators Association (UKOOA), the representative organisation for UK oil and gas producers, said:

Our members, representing over 95 per cent of total UK gas production, have agreed to increase, on a voluntary basis, the flow of information to Transco to help with its Transporting Britains Energy (TBE) 10 year planning process, provided the underlying detailed data is protected by a confidentiality agreement with Transco.

In the discussions that UKOOA has had so far with Transco, Ofgem and the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI), all participants recognise that this information contains market sensitive data and therefore needs to be protected.

We wish to see this issue resolved as soon as practicable. We will, of course, be submitting our formal response to the consultation by the end of March, as requested.

Ends

For more information, please call 020 7802 2400.