It comes as policymakers in Westminster mull important decisions following consultations into the North Sea’s energy future, the oil and gas fiscal regime, and environmental checks for field developments—significant steps towards long-term stability for the industry.

Ms. Ditchburn has worked at a senior level for both the Scottish and UK governments. From 2016 to 2022, she was director general for the economy for the Scottish Government, leading all aspects of the economy and the drive towards net zero in Scotland.

At the NSTA, Ms. Ditchburn oversees and supports the board and leadership team’s work to accelerate the North Sea’s transition, help the UK produce the energy it still needs, and ensure the production of that energy is as clean as possible through its regulation of the oil and gas, carbon storage and offshore hydrogen sectors. As a regulator, the NSTA has an important role in creating value. Since early 2021, when its revised strategy came into force, the NSTA has helped the industry reduce costs by £531 million and save 433 days—including through streamlined authorizations for pipeline work.

Ms. Ditchburn said: “The UK is at a critical juncture in its transition to net zero, where policymakers and industry chiefs are making decisions that will shape the North Sea for years to come.

“The prize for getting this right is huge, and I am keen to explore how we can seize opportunities presented by the North Sea and make the transition work for individuals and communities at these two exciting events.

“The NSTA is focused on its work as an enabling and value-creating regulator that cuts project delivery times, without cutting corners, and collaborates with other organizations to make sure marine space is used wisely and in a way that lets all industries co-exist.”

The OEUK event comes shortly after Ms. Ditchburn’s appearance at Upstream’s Global Development and Decarbonisation Week series of events on Friday, June 20, where she will take the opportunity to share her views on the UK’s huge carbon capture and storage (CCS) potential.

The NSTA is at the forefront of the UK’s drive to become a major global player in carbon capture and storage. In the past six months, the regulator has awarded permits for the nation’s first two carbon storage projects, HyNet and Northern Endurance, unlocking £6 billion of supply chain contracts and 4,000 construction jobs in total. The NSTA also held the world’s first large-scale carbon storage licensing round.

Last month, the authority kept up the momentum when it invited nominations for potential carbon storage locations. The call is intended to encourage companies to focus on areas where they have already done some technical work, resulting in higher-quality applications and getting projects up and running more quickly.

The UK Government gave the sector a boost at the spending review on June 11 when it announced support for the Acorn and Viking carbon capture and storage projects, based in Aberdeenshire and Humberside, respectively.