The onshore oil and gas resources in the United Kingdom are located in a number of provinces corresponding to prospective sedimentary basins. Provinces and Basins (from south to north) include the Wessex-Channel Basin, Weald Basin, Worcester Basin, Cheshire Basin, East Midlands Province, West Lancashire Basin, NE England Province, Northumberland-Solway Basin, Midland Valley of Scotland, and the Orcadian Basin. [1]
The Petroleum Act 1998 confers all rights to the UK's petroleum resources to the Crown. These rights are devolved to governments and government bodies. The licensing of exploration and development of England's onshore oil and gas resources is regulated by the Oil & Gas Authority. [2] The OGA can grant licences that confer exclusive rights to search and bore for and get petroleum, over a limited area for a limited time.
The Scotland Act 2016 devolved oil and gas licensing powers to the Scottish Government with effect from 9 February 2018. [3]
In addition, the Office of Unconventional Gas and Oil (OUGO), is a UK Government office that promotes the safe, responsible and environmentally sound recovery of the UK's unconventional reserves of gas and oil. [4]
The onshore oil and gas industry is represented by the United Kingdom Onshore Oil and Gas (UKOOG) industry body. [5]
A list of current and historic UK onshore oil and gas fields is given in the table. [6] [7] [2]
Field | Location (County, District) | Recoverable reserves, billion cubic metres or million tonnes | Operational | Cumulative production 1975–1993, tonnes | Operator (2020) | Oil or gas | Province, Basin | Reservoir geology | Source geology |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Albury | Surrey | 0.12 bcm | 1994– | IGas plc | Gas | Wessex-Channel Basin, Weald Basin | Bridport sands, Great Oolite (Jurassic), Sherwood sandstones (Triassic) | Lower Lias (Jurassic clays) | |
Baxters Copse | West Sussex | IGas plc | |||||||
Bletchingley 2 | Surrey | IGas plc | |||||||
Godley Bridge | Surrey | ||||||||
Avington | Hampshire | IGas plc | Oil | ||||||
Bletchingley Central | Surrey | IGas plc | |||||||
Brockham | Surrey | Angus Energy | |||||||
East Herriard | Hampshire | 30,000 | EP UK Investments | ||||||
Goodworth | Hampshire | IGas plc | |||||||
Horndean | Hampshire | 0.21 million tonnes | 1988– | 98,000 | IGas plc | ||||
Horse Hill | Surrey | UK Oil and Gas | |||||||
Humbly Grove | Hampshire | 0.82 million tonnes | 1986–date (now gas storage) | 469,000 | EP UK Investments | ||||
Kimmeridge | Dorset | 1959–date | Perenco Oil & Gas | ||||||
Lidsey | West Sussex | Angus Energy | |||||||
Palmers Wood | Surrey | 0.42 million tonnes | 1990– | 195,000 | IGas plc | ||||
Singleton | West Sussex | 0.35 million tonnes | 1980s | 78,000 | IGas plc | ||||
Stockbridge | Hampshire | 0.684 million tonnes | 1990– | 168,000 | IGas plc | ||||
Storrington | West Sussex | IGas plc | |||||||
Waddock Cross | Dorset | Egdon Resources | |||||||
Wareham | Dorset | 0.45 million tonnes | 1991–date | 263,000 | Perenco Oil & Gas | ||||
Wytch Farm | Purbeck, Dorset | 41.10 million tonnes | 1979–date | Perenco Oil & Gas | |||||
Everton | Nottinghamsire | Gas | East Midlands Province | Silesian sandstones, fractured Dinantian Carboniferous limestones | Silesian (Carboniferous) mudstones and coal | ||||
Hatfield Moors | South Yorkshire | 0.14 bcm | 1986–date | Scottish Power plc | |||||
Hatfield West | South Yorkshire | 1986–2000 (storage since 2000) | Scottish Power plc | ||||||
Ironville | Derbyshire | Warwick Energy | |||||||
Saltfleetby | Lincolnshire | 1999–2018 | Forum Energy Services | ||||||
Trumfleet | South Yorkshire | 1998– | Warwick Energy | ||||||
Beckering | Lincolnshire | Oil (for details see East Midlands oil province) | |||||||
Beckingham and Beckingham West | Nottinghamshire | 0.01 million tonnes | 1987– | 10,000 | IGas plc | ||||
Belvoir | Leicestershire | ||||||||
Bothamsall | Nottinghamshire | IGas plc | |||||||
Brigg | Lincolnshire | ||||||||
Broughton | Lincolnshire | ||||||||
Cold Hanworth | Lincolnshhire | IGas plc | |||||||
Corringham | Lincolnshire | IGas plc | |||||||
Cropwell Butler | Nottinghamshire | ||||||||
Crosby Warren | Lincolnshire | 0.062 million tonnes plus 7 mcm of gas | 1987– | 59,000 | Europa Oil and Gas | ||||
Dukes Wood | Nottinghamshire | Egdon Resources | |||||||
Eakring | Nottinghamshire | 1939–1964 | |||||||
East Glentworth | Lincolnshire | 0.039 million tonnes | 1993– | 1,000 | IGas plc | ||||
Egmanton | Nottinghamshire | IGas plc | |||||||
Farley's Wood | Nottinghamshire | 0.03 million tonnes | 1985– | 27,000 | Onshore Oilfield Services Limited | ||||
Fiskerton Airfield | Lincolnshire | Egdon Resources | |||||||
Gainborough | Lincolnshire | 1987–date | IGas plc | ||||||
Glentworth | Lincolnshire | IGas plc | |||||||
Hemswell | Lincolnshire | ||||||||
Keddington | Lincolnshire | Egdon Resources | |||||||
Kelham Hills | Nottinghamshire | ||||||||
Kinoulton | Nottinghamshire | ||||||||
Kirklington | Nottinghamshire | 0.01 million tonnes | 1991– | 4,000 | Egdon Resources | ||||
Long Clawson | Leicestershire | 0.18 million tonnes | 1990– | 37,000 | IGas plc | ||||
Nettleham | Lincolnshire | 0.16 million tonnes | 1984– | 159,000 | IGas plc | ||||
Newton-on-Trent | Lincolnshire | Blackland Park Exploration | |||||||
Rempstone | Nottinghamshire | 0.27 million tonnes | 1991– | 7,000 | IGas plc | ||||
Scampton | Lincolnshire | –1988 | IGas plc | ||||||
Scampton North | Lincolnshire | 0.20 million tonnes | 1989– | 95,000 | IGas plc | ||||
South Leverton | Lincolnshire | IGas plc | |||||||
Stainton | Lincolnshire | 0.03 million tonnes | 1987– | 17,000 | IGas plc | ||||
Torksey | Lincolnshire | ||||||||
Welton | Lincolnshire | 2.50 million tonnes | 1984– | 1,007,000 | IGas plc | ||||
West Firsby | Lincolnshire | 0.16 million tonnes | 1991– | 31,000 | Europa Oil and Gas | ||||
Whisby | Lincolnshire | 0.12 million tonnes | 1990– | 16,000 | Blackland Park Exploration | ||||
Caythorpe | North Yorkshire | 0.18 bcm | 1992– | Centrica Storage Holdings | Gas | NE England Province | Permian (Upper Magnesian) limestones | Silesian (Carboniferous) mudstones and coal | |
Eskdale | North Yorkshire | 1960–1967 | |||||||
Kirby Misperton | North Yorkshire | 0.46 bcm | 1994– | Third Energy Holdings | |||||
Lockton | North Yorkshire | 1969–1974 | |||||||
Malton | North Yorkshire | 0.27 bcm | 1995–date | Third Energy Holdings | |||||
Marishes | North Yorkshire | 0.22 bcm | 1995–date | Third Energy Holdings | |||||
Pickering | North Yorkshire | Third Energy Holdings | |||||||
Formby | Merseyside | 1939–1965 | Oil | West Lancashire Basin | Sherwood sandstone (Triassic) | Silesian (Carboniferous) mudstones and coal | |||
Elswick | Lancashire | 1990–date | Cuadrilla Resources | Gas | |||||
Bargeddie | North Lanarkshire | Gas | Midland Valley Scotland | Silesian sandstones (Carboniferous) | Silesian (Carboniferous) mudstones and coal | ||||
Cousland | Midlothian | 1937–? | |||||||
Dalkeith | Midlothian | 1937–? | Oil | ||||||
Milton of Balgonie | Fife | ||||||||
– | Cheshire, Shropshire | Cheshire Basin | |||||||
– | Worcestershire | Worcester Basin | |||||||
– | Northumberland, Cumbria | Northumberland-Solway Basin | |||||||
– | Orkney, Highland, Moray, Aberdeenshire | Orcadian Basin |
The Institute of Petroleum (IP) was a UK-based professional organisation founded in 1913 as the Institute of Petroleum Technologists. It changed its name to the Institute of Petroleum in 1938. The institute became defunct when it merged with the Institute of Energy in 2003 to form the Energy Institute.
Norpipe is a subsea oil and natural gas pipeline system in the North Sea. It supplies oil from the Norwegian Ekofisk and associated fields in the North Sea to the United Kingdom and natural gas to Germany.
Proven oil reserves in Iran, according to its government, rank fourth largest in the world at approximately as of 2013, although it ranks third if Canadian reserves of unconventional oil are excluded. This is roughly 10% of the world's total proven petroleum reserves. At 2020 rates of production, Iran's oil reserves would last 145 years if no new oil was found.
The East Midlands Oil Province, also known as the East Midlands Petroleum Province, covers the petroliferous geological area across the north-eastern part of the East Midlands of England that has a few small oil fields. The largest field in the province is the Welton oil field, the second largest onshore oil field in the UK.
Roc Oil Company Limited was an international petroleum company based in Sydney, Australia. The company was established in 1997 as a privately owned company by John Doran. In 1999, the company went public with an IPO at the Australian Stock Exchange, and in 2004, Roc was listed on the London Stock Exchange. In 2008, Roc Oil merged with Anzon Australia, and in 2014 China's Fosun International conglomerate acquired Roc for AU$474 million.
Wood Mackenzie, also known as WoodMac, is a global research and consultancy group supplying data, written analysis, and consultancy advice to the energy, chemicals, renewables, metals, and mining industries. In 2015, the company was acquired by Verisk Analytics, an American data analytics and risk assessment firm, in a deal valued at $2.8 billion.
Hydraulic fracturing in the United Kingdom started in the late 1970s with fracturing of the conventional oil and gas fields near the North Sea. It was used in about 200 British onshore oil and gas wells from the early 1980s. The technique attracted attention after licences use were awarded for onshore shale gas exploration in 2008. The topic received considerable public debate on environmental grounds, with a 2019 high court ruling ultimately banning the process. The two remaining high-volume fracturing wells were supposed to be plugged and decommissioned in 2022.
Hydraulic fracturing has become a contentious environmental and health issue with Tunisia and France banning the practice and a de facto moratorium in place in Quebec (Canada), and some of the states of the US.
The petroleum fiscal regime of a country is a set of laws, regulations and agreements which governs the economical benefits derived from petroleum exploration and production. The regime regulates transactions between the political entity and the legal entities involved. A commercial or legal entity in this context is commonly an oil company, and two or more companies may establish partnerships to share economic risks and investment capital.
Shale gas in the United Kingdom has attracted increasing attention since 2007, when onshore shale gas production was proposed. The first shale gas well in England was drilled in 1875. As of 2013 a number of wells had been drilled, and favourable tax treatment had been offered to shale gas producers.
The National Offshore Petroleum Safety and Environmental Management Authority (NOPSEMA) is the Australian Government offshore energy regulator responsible for the health and safety, well integrity and environmental management aspects of offshore oil and gas operations in Australian Commonwealth waters; and in coastal waters where regulatory powers and functions have been conferred by state governments.
Parami Energy Group of Companies is a Myanmar-based energy conglomerate active in solar powered electricity generation, Liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) import and distribution, and oil & gas exploration and development.
The United Kingdom Common Frameworks are a group of legislative and non- legislative policies that aim to create UK wide frameworks and ensure the security and integrity of the UK internal market.
The Energy Act 1976 is an Act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom which empowered the Secretary of State to control the production, supply, acquisition and use of fuels and electricity, and included measures for the conservation of fuels.
Gabriel Mbega Obiang Lima is an Equatorial Guinean politician. Nicknamed Gabi, he is the current Minister of Mines and Hydrocarbons of Equatorial Guinea.
The Petroleum Royalties (Relief) and Continental Shelf Act 1989 is an Act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom which abolished petroleum royalties for gas fields in the southern basin of the North Sea and onshore, and enacted an agreement with the Republic of Ireland on the extent of the continental shelf.
The Petroleum Royalties (Relief) Act 1983 is an Act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom which exempted certain petroleum licence holders of new offshore oil and gas fields from the payment of petroleum royalties or the delivery of petroleum.
The Petroleum (Production) Act 1964 is an Act of the Parliament of Northern Ireland which vested in the Northern Ireland Ministry of Commerce the property in undeveloped petroleum. It also made provision for searching for and producing petroleum.
ISO Technical Committee 67 – Oil and gas industries including lower carbon energy is a technical committee within the International Organization for Standardization (ISO). ISO/TC 67 is responsible for developing and maintaining international standards in the worldwide upstream, midstream and downstream oil and gas industry and related lower carbon energy activities. Its role encompasses the harmonisation of standards for facilities, equipment and operations used for drilling, production, pipeline transport and processing of liquids and gaseous hydrocarbons on, and between, offshore oil and gas installations and onshore terminals and oil refineries.
Oil terminals are a key component of the energy supply industry in Ireland which is extensively based on the import, production and distribution of refined petroleum products. Some crude oil is imported for processing at Ireland's only oil refinery.
{{cite web}}
: CS1 maint: url-status (link){{cite web}}
: CS1 maint: url-status (link){{cite web}}
: CS1 maint: url-status (link){{cite web}}
: CS1 maint: url-status (link){{cite web}}
: CS1 maint: url-status (link){{cite web}}
: CS1 maint: url-status (link)