Renewable energy to power oil and gas rigs?

The Oil and Gas Authority has started ‘significant work’ on how it can support the low carbon energy transition

OGA offers 123 new oil and gas licences

It has made a total of 26,659 square kilometres available, split into 229 blocks

UK’s petroleum ‘could last 20 more years’

The UK’s remaining petroleum reserves could last for at least 20 more years. That’s according to a new report from the Oil and Gas Authority (OGA), which suggests they could last even longer if additional undeveloped resources, ranging between 10 to 20 billion barrels of oil equivalent (boe), can be matured. To date, a total […]

OGA offers new oil and gas exploration blocks

The Oil and Gas Authority (OGA) has launched its 30th round of offshore licensing. The offering focuses on mature areas of the UK Continental Shelf (UKCS) and includes 813 blocks or part blocks, totalling an area of more than 28 million acres. Blocks are on offer in the Southern, Central and Northern North Sea, the […]

Oil and Gas Authority offers 12 new licences

The Oil and Gas Authority has awarded 12 licences to 11 companies in its latest round of offerings. The 2016 Supplementary Offshore Oil and Gas Licensing Round was offered in response to industry requests to explore and drill in areas outside of those available in previous rounds. Locations varied across the UK Continental Shelf (UKCS), from […]

New strategy to recover North Sea’s tight gas

The Oil and Gas Authority (OGA) has published a new strategy to maximise the recovery of tight gas from the Southern North Sea (SNS). The organisation estimates there are roughly 3.8 trillion cubic feet of accessible tight gas remaining in the region. This is natural gas trapped in low permeability reservoirs where conventional drilling is […]

New scheme to optimise oil and gas decommissioning

A new multi-operator scheme aims to increase the efficiency and reduce the costs of oil and gas decommissioning. The Oil and Gas Authority (OGA) is currently searching for firms to join the Well Plug and Abandonment Optimisation Programme, which aims to demonstrate the improvements that can be made in the sector. Participants must have at least one well to be decommissioned within the project […]

UK North Sea’s new regulator appoints chair

Sir Patrick Brown has been appointed as the chair of the new independent regulator for the North Sea oil and gas industry. The Oil and Gas Authority – which was announced by the UK Government last year – is responsible for ensuring explorers squeeze out as much oil and gas out of Britain’s North Sea […]

£15m to fund new oil and gas industry regulator

The Government has committed £15 million to help kick-start a new independent regulator for the North Sea oil and gas industry. The Oil and Gas Authority (OGA) will receive £3 million funding for five years from 2016/17 but in the long term it will be funded by the industry itself. It will be responsible for […]