North Sea regulator recommends measures to boost oil and gas production

Oil and gas production in the North Sea should be boosted in the coming years through a number of measures, the regulating body has recommended.

In a report released on Thursday, the North Sea Transition Authority (NSTA) has said drilling activity remained low in 2021 compared to pre-pandemic levels.

It comes after the NSTA said it would expand oil and gas licences, a move which is facing a legal challenge from climate campaigners.

The Wells Insight Report said production totalled 480 million barrels in 2021, compared with 600 million in 2019.

However, the licensing round and new wellbores were expected to increase future production.

The NSTA’s head of technology, Carlo Procaccini, said: “Amid the energy crisis, it is vital that North Sea industry works quickly to secure additional supplies of oil and gas, produced as cleanly as possible.

“That means drilling more new wells and restoring those which can be repaired.

“The NSTA is working with industry on a number of fronts to support this work.

“Part of that involves sharing data, such as those presented in this report, and benchmarking to keep industry better informed on wells performance and priority areas.”

The high price of oil this year has led to accelerated development of 30 projects which target 1.5 billion barrels of oil, the report noted.

The NSTA has called on the industry to restart production at some wells where it has stopped.

Some operators are facing logistical constraints on platforms or problems with their supply chains.