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1964 |
First licences granted offshore UK |
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First well in UK sector by Texaco/Chevron, in block 38/29 |
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1965 |
First gas field discovered by BP at West Sole |
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1967 |
First North Sea gas field - West Sole - started production |
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1969 |
First oil found in UK waters by Amoco - Arbroath field |
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1973 |
U.K.OFFSHORE OPERATORS ASSOCIATION LIMITED (UKOOA) , incorporated on 25 June as a company limited by guarantee and not having a share capital. |
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1975 |
Argyll oil field
operated by Hamilton Bros started production in June - first UK offshore oil |
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First concrete platform installed on Beryl by Mobil |
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The one-thousandth well drilled in UK waters |
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1977 |
Oil found in block 206/8 by BP - the first West of Shetlands discovery (Clair field) |
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First Norwegian gas delivered from the Frigg
field to St Fergus in the North East of Scotland. |
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1978 |
UK North Sea production tops one million barrels of oil per day for the first time |
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First production platform removed - from West Sole field |
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1980 |
Price of oil peaks at $40 per barrel -
equivalent to $80 in 2004 money |
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1981 |
UK oil production exceeded consumption |
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1985 |
Oil production reached a new record at 127.5 million tonnes,
(including NGLs) |
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1986 |
Oil prices crash to under $10 per barrel. |
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1988 |
The Piper Alpha tragedy on 6 July |
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1989 |
Twenty-five years since the First Offshore Licensing Round |
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1991 |
One hundred fields in production in the UK |
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1992 |
First out-of-round offshore awards |
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1994 |
Record number of fields (33) received development authority including Foinaven, the first oilfield to be developed to the West of Shetlands |
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1995 |
Exports of UKCS gas to Ireland commences. |
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1996 |
Development
well activity reached new record with 261 wells being commenced |
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1997 |
Record number of offshore fields (186) were in production at the end of 1997; 98 Oil, 75 Gas and 13 Condensate |
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Combined offshore oil and gas production
reached new record of 203.8 million tonnes of oil equivalent |
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The discharge of oil contaminated drill cuttings effectively ceased with effect from 1 January 1997 |
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1998 |
Number of offshore fields now 204. The UK-Belgium gas interconnector opens,
joining the British and continental markets together for the first time and
allowing both gas exports to and, at times of peak demand, imports from
mainland Europe. |
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UKOOA celebrates its first twenty-five years. |
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25 years of the Brown Book 1993 - 1998 |
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Average price for Brent Crude slumped to $12.78
per barrel. |
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59 exploration and appraisal wells were
drilled. |
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Combined offshore oil and gas production
reached 220 million tonnes of oil equivalent. |
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1999 |
Government publishes "A Template for Change" a
joint report with the industry about the future of oil and gas exploration
and production on the UKCS. |
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Oil price fell to $9.83 per barrel in February,
with prices averaging $17.88 over the year |
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Oil and gas production peaked at a record 125
million tonnes of oil and 105 billion cubic metres of gas. |
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31 exploration and appraisal wells were
drilled. |
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2000 |
Oil and gas from UKCS provides 85% of UK's
primary energy needs. Total production is equivalent to the UK's
entire energy needs. |
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PILOT is launched, with representatives from
Government, operators, contractors, suppliers and the unions. |
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Total UKCS gas production continued to rise to
115 billion cubic metres, while oil production declined to 115 million
tonnes |
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2001 |
It is estimated that only half the recoverable
reserves from the UKCS have been produced, with the second, but more
difficult half to come. |
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Pan-Canadian Petroleum (now Encana) discovered
the Buzzard field, at 500 million boe, the largest discovery for 10 years (average discoveries in recent years
only 25 - 30 million boe). |
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DTI approved 21 new field development projects. |
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Publication of "Striking a Balance", the UK oil
and gas industry's first sectoral Sustainability Strategy. |
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2002 |
Since 1964, total investment in the UKCS has
exceeded £200 billion and total tax paid by upstream oil and gas companies
reached £190 billion (in 2002 money). |
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Industry hit by 10 per cent supplementary
Corporation Tax rate in April Budget. |
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The DTI introduces the "Fallow Initiative" and
"Promote License" to stimulate activity in the UKCS. |
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16 exploration wells were drilled and 4
significant new discoveries announced. 18 projects received
development approval. |
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2003 |
UKOOA celebrates its first
thirty years. |
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The UK is ranked 7th largest producer of oil
and gas in the world, and was largest single industry investing in the
industrial sector of the UK economy (£8.6 billion). |
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21st Licensing Round saw 27 new entrants into
the UKCS and included the award of 53 Promote Licenses, introduced for the
first time to encourage new players in exploration. |
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Petroleum Revenue Tax was removed from new
tariff business on UKCS. |
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The UK and Norwegian Governments agreed on key
terms for a Treaty governing cross-border co-operation between the two
countries. |
|
2004 |
Oil prices reach $50 per barrel. 63
exploration wells drilled, the highest number since 1998. Four
companies acquired their first commercial interest int he UK and 15 new
companies were offered acreage as part of the 22nd Offshore Licensing Round.
Frontier licences covering areas of the Atlantic Margin offered for the
first time. A new Code of Practice on Access to UKCS Upstream Oil and
Gas Infrastructure agreed. |
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2005 |
152
licences offered to 99 companies, including 24 new entrants to the UKCS, in
the 23rd Licensing Round, the biggest offer since the first round in 1964.
Exploration and appraisal drilling increased to 87 wells, the highest number
drilled since 1997.
12
new developments came on stream and a further 13 given government approval.
Supplementary Corporation Tax
paid by the UK upstream oil and gas industry was increased to 20%. |
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2006 |
The
24th Licensing Round delayed due to problems with new European
environmental legislation.
UK oil and gas production
declined for the seventh consecutive year to 2.9 million boe, a 9% decline
on 2005.
82 exploration and appraisal
wells drilled, with 38% success rate (up from 24% in 2005) and an average
discovery size of 10 million boe.
10 new field developments came
on stream. |
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2007 |
Oil price reaches $95 a barrel
The decline in UK oil and gas production slowed to 5% compared with 2006
34 exploration wells and 77 appraisal wells were drilled in 2007
There were around 13 oil and gas discoveries with initial indications that
300-400 million barrels were found
25th licensing round delayed until early 2008 |
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