The regulator for oil and gas production in the North Sea has recommended that production should be boosted in coming years.
The North Sea Transition Authority (NSTA) said in a report released today that 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 facing a legal challenge from climate campaigners.
The Wells Insight Report said production totalled 480m barrels in 2021, compared with 600m in 2019.
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The licensing round and new wellbores are however 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 report notes that the high price of oil this year has led to accelerated development of 30 projects which target 1.5 billion barrels of oil.
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.
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