DrillOrDrop’s review of the latest UK onshore production data for January 2023 reveals another record month for flaring at oil fields. For the first time in this series of articles, we’ve added data on onshore gas production.
Key figures
Daily production: Oil: 14,121 barrels per day (bopd). Gas: 9 million standard cubic feet per day (mmscf/d)
Weight: Oil: 57,446 tonnes. Gas: 6,995 tonnes.
Volume: Oil: 69,594 m3. Gas: 9,078 thousand cubic meters (ksm3)
Onshore contribution to UK total production: 1.92% of total oil and 0.8% of gas
Volume of flared gas at UK onshore oilfields: 1,193 ksm3
Volume of vented gas at UK onshore oilfields: 128 ksm3
The data in this post was compiled and published by the North Sea Transition Authority (NSTA) from reports by oil companies. This is published about three months in arrears. All the charts are based on the NSTA data.
Details
Daily production
- Daily oil production dropped from a record high for 2022 in December – but remains above 14,000 bopd.
- Daily gas production remained stable for the fourth month in a row at 9 mmscf/d.
Volume and weight
- Oil volume and weight fell nearly 4% in January 2023, compared with December 2022 but remained higher than the six-month low in November 2022.
- Gas weight and volume was also down nearly 4%, compared with December 2022. January gas volume and weight were the lowest since September 2022.
Contribution to UK production
- Onshore oil and gas had a smaller contribution to total UK oil in January 2023, compared with December.
- Both were higher than at the same time a year ago.
Flaring and venting
- Flaring from onshore oil fields was a record high in January 2023 for the previous 12 months.
- The volume of vented gas in January 2023 was down on December 2022 but was the third highest monthly total in the previous 12 months.
Top producing fields
Oil top 20
Ranking risers: Wareham, Glentworth, Long Clawson, Cold Hanworth and Palmers Wood
Ranking fallers: Horndean, Whisby, Beckingham, Scampton North, Gainsborough, Horse Hill, Bletchingley, Kimmeridge and Corringham
The weight of oil produced by Wytch Farm, in Dorset, fell by 5% in January 2023, compared with December 2022. But the Wressle site in North Lincolnshire, saw monthly production rise by more than 5%.
There was a 20% increase in oil produced over the month at Wareham, also in Dorset , but a 20% fall at Whisby, in Lincolnshire.
Despite falls in rankings, production rose 5% at Horndean in Hampshire, compared with December 2022 and by 17% at Horse Hill in Surrey, compared with November 2022.
Flaring rose between December 2022 and January 2023 at Singleton, West Sussex, (531m3 to 553m3) and Wressle (363m3 to 422m3).
Gas top 10
Ranking risers: Warsop Main Coal Mine Vent
Ranking fallers: None
Gas production at Saltfleetby fell 9% in January 2023, compared with December 2022 (3,780 tonnes down from 4,158 tonnes). Water production at the field increased 50%, from 99m3 in December 2022 to 149m3 in January.
Production at second-placed Albury in Surrey fell slightly (from 581 tonnes in December 2022 to 571 tonnes in January 2023).
Non-producers
Oil
There was no production at 13 UK onshore oil fields. This was one up on November 2022, when Keddington reported production. The non-producing oil fields were:
- Angus Energy: Lidsey, Brockham
- Britnrg Limited: Newton-on-Trent
- Egdon Resources: Dukes Wood, Fiskerton Airfield, Keddington, Kirklington, Waddock Cross
- IGas: Avington, Egmanton, Nettleham, Scampton, South Leverton
Gas
No dry gas production was reported from the following onshore fields in January 2023:
Sherwood Vent, Kirkleatham, Doe Green, Pickering, Florence Coal Mine Vent, Elswick, Mansfield Coal Mine Vent, Airth, Marishes, Malton, Kings Mill Hospital Vent, Kirby Misperton.
Operators
Oil
Egdon Resources saw its weight of monthly production almost double between November 2022 (1,493 tonnes) and January 2023 (3,405 tonnes). Production at fields operated by IGas, EP UK Investments, UK Oil & Gas and Europa also rose during this period.
Perenco, operator of Wytch Farm, Kimmeridge and Wareham, saw its share of production fell from 80.12% in November 2022. The company’s weight of production also fell slightly. There were also falls at fields operated by BritNRG and Onshore Oilfield Services Limited.
Gas
Angus Energy’s share of UK onshore gas production fell, from nearly 63% in November 2022 and nearly 57% in December 2022, to 54% in January 2023.
Infinis Energy, which operates the coal mine vents, saw its share rise from nearly 25% in November 2022 and 30% in December 2022, to more than 32% in January 2023. The IGas share also rose from 4.69% in November 2022 to 5.25% in January 2023.
2022 onshore oil data archive
August 2022 – see note about revised data
July 2022 – see note about revised data
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