OGA Names Final Winners from 28th Offshore Licensing Round

OGA Names Final Winners from 28th Offshore Licensing Round
The UK's Oil and Gas Authority announces the remaining winners from the 28th Offshore Licensing Round, which covers 353 blocks on the UK Continental Shelf.

The UK’s Oil and Gas Authority (OGA) announced Monday the remaining winners from the 28th Offshore Licensing Round, which covers 353 blocks on the UK Continental Shelf.

In addition to the 134 licenses awarded in late 2014 as part of the latest licensing round, 41 new licenses were awarded today, making this one of the largest rounds in the five decades since the first licensing round took place in 1964. The OGA revealed that ENI was awarded three licenses, covering 23 blocks, Shell received one license, covering ten blocks, and OMV was awarded one license, covering nine blocks. Other companies that were awarded licenses as part of the second tranche of the 28th Offshore Licensing Round included BP, Total and Maersk.

Andy Samuel, Oil and Gas Authority chief executive, commented in an OGA statement:

“The UK Continental Shelf remains a world-class hydrocarbon province where significant resources and economic value remain to be realized. The good level of interest in the 28th Round highlights the continued attractiveness of the UK’s oil and gas resources. Licenses are however just a start and industry, government and the OGA now need to work together to revitalize exploration activity across the basin and convert licenses into successful exploration wells.”

Andrea Leadsom, UK Energy Minister, said in a government press release:

“We are determined to make the most of our North Sea resources to provide secure, reliable energy for hardworking families and businesses and reduce our reliance on volatile foreign imports. We are backing our oil and gas industry which supports hundreds of thousands of jobs across the UK. The 28th offshore licensing round comes after the government announced a major package of support in March to encourage $6.2 billion of additional investment in the North Sea which will prolong the life of this vital industry.”

The latest awards covered northern and southern sectors of the North Sea, as well as Morecombe Bay and areas west of the Shetlands. Companies that were awarded blocks in the first tranche of the 28th Offshore Licensing Round include Statoil, Enquest and Highland Petroleum.



WHAT DO YOU THINK?


Generated by readers, the comments included herein do not reflect the views and opinions of Rigzone. All comments are subject to editorial review. Off-topic, inappropriate or insulting comments will be removed.

RELATED COMPANIES
Company: BP plc more info
Company: Maersk Drilling more info
Company: Equinor ASA more info
Company: TotalEnergies more info
Company: ENI more info
Company: OMV more info
Company: Royal Dutch Shell plc more info
Company: EnQuest plc more info

Most Popular Articles