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 | 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 |