A former energy minister has been appointed as the new chair of the Oil and Gas Authority (OGA) to replace interim chair Frances Morris-Jones.
Tim Eggar who was a member of parliament for almost 20 years and energy minister between 1992 and 1996, will take up the role on 11 March.
Business and energy secretary Greg Clark appointed the “highly experienced” Eggar, as Morris-Jones will complete her term as interim chair at the end of the month.
Prior to taking on this role, Eggar was a non-executive chair and board director, including in the oil and gas sector and the wider energy sector.
He was a government minister for 11 years and is currently chair of MyCelx Technologies, a clean-water technology company for the energy sector, and a board mentor.
In 2010, the former Conservative MP was appointed to lead a review of the tax treatment of the North Sea oil and gas industry.
Eggar was appointed as minister for energy at the Department of Trade and Industry after the 1992 election.
He introduced the Gas Act which led to the restructuring of British Gas and the introduction of household gas supply competition. He also had responsibility for the government’s sale of British Coal and the non-magnox nuclear power stations.
In a recent interview with Utility Week, Rachel Fletcher the chief executive of Ofwat, discussed how she came to be involved with regulation as a consultant advising Ofgas, as it was at the time, following the Monopolies and Mergers Commission inquiry into British Gas.
She described the creation of the gas wholesale market and the opening up of retail competition as “such an exciting time”.
The OGA’s role is to regulate, influence and promote the UK oil and gas industry in order to maximise the economic recovery of the UK’s oil and gas resources.
Regulatory powers for oil and gas were formally transferred from the government to the OGA in October 2016. It has the authority to resolve disputes, gain access to meetings and impose sanctions.