Published by the DTI Oil & Gas Directorate for the reservoir
engineering and IOR community in the UK.
Send comments on this issue and contributions for next issue to iornewsletter@senergyltd.com
by 15 August 2002.
UKCS Remaining Reservoirs of Oil
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Every year the Oil and Gas Directorate of the DTI carries out a review of the hydrocarbon wealth of the UK Continental Shelf. Over an intensive six week period starting early in January, each UKCS field and each potential development or past discovery is reviewed with the current UKCS operator to establish its reserves and status as at 31st December. New field developments in 2001 were included, and reserves in established fields have been revised due to geological, reservoir engineering and economic re-assessments. This year we reviewed 618 separate fields or drilled prospects both offshore and onshore.
The oil reserves include both oil and the liquids and liquefied products obtained from gas fields, gas-condensate fields and from the associated gas in oil fields. Specifications for liquid condensates from gas condensate fields and natural gas liquids (NGLs) vary across the industry but approximate proportions of these hydrocarbon liquids in the initially recoverable reserves are 6% gas condensate liquids and 4% as natural gas liquids.
Cumulative production to the end of 2001 was 20,670 million barrels. Remaining proven reserves stand at 4,715 million barrels, which is only 215 million barrels less than at the end of 2000. Remaining proven plus probable oil reserves (usual planning number) stand at 7,465 million barrels compared with 7930 million barrels last year (production in 2001 was 913 million barrels). The maximum possible remaining reserves combining all three risk categories, stand at 11,125 million barrels(11,605 last year). It is usual for proved reserves to be robust to change as reserves in a field become more certain with time, although of course the all-risk summed total declines.
For more information and charts see www.og.dti.gov.uk/information/statistics.htm. The site currently shows the old 2000 figures but will be fully updated by 1st June 2002.
Potential additional reserves in fields and drilled prospects for which there were no current plans for development are listed in a separate table on the website. An estimate of undiscovered resources is also shown. The tables on the website are presented in mass units (tonnes) to facilitate comparison with other energy resources and the incorporation of natural gas liquids.
The next newsletter will feature the UKCS update GAS reserves in time for the winter period but you will be able to view these on the above website from 1st June.
Disclaimer: The material available on this website is designed to provide general information only. Whilst every effort has been made to ensure that the information provided is accurate, it does not constitute legal or other professional advice.
Please note: The Department of Trade and Industry cannot be held responsible for the contents of any pages referenced by an external link.
