UK onshore oil and gas production in charts – August 2023

By Ruth Hayhurst on November 1, 2023 • ( Leave a comment )

Onshore oil and gas production fell in August 2023, with a drop in extraction at the leading sites at Wytch Farm, Wressle and Saltfleetby.

Key figures

Daily oil production: 13,203 barrels of oil per day (bopd) (July 2023 13,807 bopd)

Oil volume: 65,068m3 (July 2023 68,045m3)

Oil weight: 53,078 tonnes (July 2023 56,140 tonnes)

Onshore oil’s contribution to UK total production: 2.4% (July 2023 2.2%)

Volume of flared gas at UK onshore oilfields: 996ksm3 (July 2023 1,156ksm)

Volume of vented gas at UK onshore oilfields: 69ksm (July 2023 75ksm)

Daily gas production: 11.31 standard cubic feet per day (mmscf/d) (July 2023 12.60 mmscf/d)

Gas volume: 9,927 thousand cubic meters (ksm3) (July 2023 11,063ksm3)

Gas weight: 8,096 tonnes (July 2023 9,047 tonnes)

Onshore gas’s contribution to UK total production: 1.2% (July 2023 1.1%)

This post uses data 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.

Some data for previous months has changed in today’s latest release from NSTA. This particularly concerns the volume of flared and vented gas at onshore oil fields. We have asked NSTA why this data has changed.

Details

Daily production

Volume and weight

Contribution to UK production

Flaring and venting

Top producing fields

Oil top 20

Ranking risers: Singleton, Welton, Stockbridge, Humbly Grove, Long Clawson, Cold Hanworth, Bletchingley, Storrington

Ranking fallers: Wressle, Horndean, Scampton North, Glentworth, Palmers Wood, Gainsborough, Horse Hill, Kimmeridge, East Glentworth

Monthly production at the UK’s newest onshore oil field, Wressle in North Lincolnshire, dropped by 60% or 1,547 tonnes. As a result, the field dropped from 2nd to 6th in the rankings. Work was carried out at the site at the end of August to increase pressure within the reservoir. This was reported last month to have been successful.

Wytch Farm, the UK’s biggest producer, dropped more than 800 tonnes in August, compared with July 2023. But its share rose to 79%, up from 77% in July 2023.

Humbly Grove, in Hampshire, added nearly 300 tonnes in August 2023, to reach 1,144 tonnes. It also rose one place in the rankings.

Horse Hill, in Surrey, once nicknamed the Gatwick Gusher, continued to see falling production. This month it dropped to 215 tonnes, down 6% from 230 tonnes in July 2023. The field did, however, maintain its place at 16.

Production at Long Clawson, in Lincolnshire, rose by 166 tonnes, or 40%, and rose in the rankings by three places.

Whisby, also in Lincolnshire, dropped out of the top 20.

Producing gas fields

Ranking risers: Stillingfleet

Ranking fallers: Albury and Maltby Coal Mine Vent

The UK’s largest producing onshore gas field, Saltfleetby, in Lincolnshire, saw production drop more than 1,000 tonnes, a fall of 14%. Its share of UK onshore gas also fell to below 80%.

Actual production rose more than 50% at Stillingfleet, up from 262 tonnes in July 2023 to 409 tonnes in August 2023. Production also rose at Albury.

But there were falls at Bilsthorpe, Maltby, Wheldale, Prince of Wales and Markham Main.

Non-producers

Oil

There was no production at 13 UK onshore oil fields in August 2023. This was the same number and fields that did not produce in July 2023.

The non-producing fields were:

Angus Energy: Lidsey, Brockham
Britnrg Limited: Newton-on-Trent
Heyco (formerly Egdon Resources): Dukes Wood, Fiskerton Airfield, Kirklington, Waddock Cross
Star Enery (formerly IGas): Avington, Egmanton, Nettleham, Scampton, South Leverton
Perenco: Wareham

Gas

There was no production reported at 16 UK onshore producing gas fields in August 2023, the same number and fields as in July 2023.

The non-producers were:

Cuadrilla: Elswick
Heyco: Kirkleatham
EP UK Investments: Humbly Grove Gas Storage
Ineos: Airth, Doe Green
Infinis Energy: coal mine vents at Askern, Bevercotes, Cadeby, Florence, Gedling, Kings Mill Hospital, Mansfield, Sherwood and Warsop
Scottish Power UK plc: Hatfield Moor and Hatfield Moor Gas Storage Injection

Operators

Oil

The two leading onshore oil producing companies, Perenco (Wytch Farm, Kimmeridge and Wareham) and Star Energy (formerly IGas), increased their share of UK onshore oil extraction in August 2023, compared with the month before. This was despite slightly lower total production at both companies.

Heyco, which has taken over Egdon Resources, saw its share and production fall. This was because of the drop in extraction from Wressle in August 2023.

UKOG increased its share slightly, despite the fall in production from its Horse Hill site.

Gas

Angus Energy saw a fall in its share of UK onshore gas production, with the drop in extraction at its flagship Saltfleetby field. Velox Power (Stillingfleet) and Star Energy (Albury) both increased their share of UK onshore production.