UK onshore oil and gas production in charts – October 2023

By Ruth Hayhurst on January 2, 2024

UK onshore gas volumes in October rose with increased production from Saltfleetby. But onshore oil fell for the third consecutive month with lower output at Wytch Farm and a well workover at Wressle.

Key figures

Daily oil production: 11,561 barrels of oil per day (bopd) (September 12,345 bopd)

Oil volume: 56,978m3 (September 58,880m3)

Oil weight: 47,076 tonnes (September 48,635 tonnes)

Onshore oil’s contribution to UK total production: 1.91% (September 2.2%)

Volume of flared gas at UK onshore oilfields: 751ksm3 (September 774ksm3)

Volume of vented gas at UK onshore oilfields: 71ksm3 (September 68ksm3)

Daily gas production: 11.6 million standard cubic feet per day (mmscf/d) (September 10.4 mmscf/d)

Gas volume: 10,168 thousand cubic meters (ksm3) (September 8,834 ksm3)

Gas weight: 8,271 tonnes (September 7,178 tonnes )

Onshore gas’s contribution to UK total production: 1.3% (September 1.2%)

This article 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 retrospectively changed in previous releases from NSTA. This particularly concerns the volume of flared and vented gas at onshore oil fields. We have reported on 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: Humbly Grove, Horndean and Palmers Wood

Ranking fallers: Glentworth, Long Clawson, Scampton North, Bletchingley, Cold Hanworth, Gainsborough, Corringham, Beckingham, Horse Hill, Kimmeridge and Whisby. Storrington dropped out of the top 20

The newest UK onshore field, at Wressle in North Lincolnshire, recorded no production in October 2023. This is despite a report by partners in the field that production was likely to resume in the final week of the month after a well workover.

The UK’s biggest onshore producer, Wytch Farm, in Dorset, dropped 6% in October from 39,650 to 37,164. Its contribution to UK production also fell from 81% to 79%. The next highest producing field in October 2023 was Singleton, in West Sussex, up 13%, from 1,543 tonnes to 1,749 tonnes, accounting for 3.7% of UK onshore production.

Humbly Grove, in Hampshire, saw production rise more than 400% from 163 tonnes to 882 tonnes, increasing its contribution to UK onshore production from 0.33% to 1.9%

Production also rose at Horndean, in Hampshire, up 15% from 452 tonnes to 521 tonnes.

Horse Hill, in Surrey, dropped two places in the rankings to 15^th, with a 4% fall in production from 195 tonnes to 188 tonnes.

Storrington, in West Sussex, fell to 29^th place, with a 95% drop from 124 tonnes to 7 tonnes.

Producing gas fields

Ranking risers: Maltby, Wheldale, Markham and Gedling coal mine vents

Ranking fallers: Prince of Wales and Bilsthorpe Colliery coal mine vents

Production recovered at the UK’s largest onshore gas field at Saltfleetby, in Lincolnshire, after a previous fall for two consecutive months. The weight of gas in October rose 17% to 6,330 tonnes, up from 5,403 tonnes in September 2023. The field’s contribution to UK onshore production rose to 77%, up from 75% in the previous month.

Albury, in Surrey, also saw a rise in production, up 27% in October 2023, from 254 tonnes in September to 322 tonnes.

Production at Maltby Coal Mine Vent rose by 36%, from 384 tonnes to 523 tonnes. But there was an 80% fall at Bilsthorpe and a 54% fall at the Prince of Wales coal mine vent.

Non-producers

Oil

According to the data, there was no production at 13 UK onshore oil fields in October 2023. This was one fewer field than in September 2023. Wareham in Dorset resumed production after a break of four months but Wressle recorded no output.

The non-producing fields were:

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

Gas

There was no production reported at 13 UK onshore producing gas fields in October 2023.

This was one fewer than in September 2023. Bevercotes coal mine vent resumed production in October.

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, Florence, Kings Mill Hospital, Mansfield, Sherwood and Warsop
Scottish Power UK plc: Hatfield Moor and Hatfield Moor Gas Storage Injection

Operators

Oil

Production rose at six of the eight UK onshore oil operators, after across-the-board falls in September 2023. Production in October fell at sites operated by Perenco and UK Oil & Gas plc.

Heyco Energy Group saw production rise from 9 tonnes to 113 tonnes, despite the workover suspension at Wressle, with the resumption of production at Keddington

Gas

Production was up at all but one of the UK onshore gas operators. Velox Power saw its production fall slightly from 384 to 373 tonnes.

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