OGA awards 25 licences for oil and gas exploration

A total of 25 licences have been awarded to enable further oil and gas exploration and production on the UK Continental Shelf (UKCS). It is part of the Oil and Gas Authority’s (OGA) 29th Licensing Round – the first in two decades focusing solely on frontier, underexplored areas of the Rockall Basin, Mid-North Sea High […]

UK kicks off fracking bidding round

The bidding process for companies to get licences to extract shale oil and gas – using the controversial process of fracking – is open today. Although the licences provide the “first step” to start drilling, it does not give absolute agreement to drill, the Government said. Fracking companies will also have to provide a drilling […]

Centrica eyeing UK shale gas?

The parent company of British Gas is rumoured to be eyeing up shale gas assets in the UK. Energy firm Centrica is tipped to be in talks with shale gas firm Cuadrilla Resources over its Bowland Shale licences, a source told Reuters last week. Cuadrilla is one of two firms currently exploring in the UK […]

Cairn Energy sells third of a Greenland block to Statoil

Cairn Energy is selling a third of one of its Greenland exploration blocks to Norwegian oil and gas firm Statoil. The UK firm is farming out a 30.625% interest in its Pitu block in the Arctic region. The move is a bid to “de-risk” the assets, according to a spokesperson for Cairn, who said bringing […]