§ Mr. Canavanasked the Secretary of State for Energy whether he will make a statement on the negotiations with the Norwegian Government concerning the joint development of the Frigg offshore gasfield.
§ Mr. BennThe Permanent Under-Secretary of my Department is today in Oslo to initial a draft agreement on the joint development of the Frigg gasfield which lies across the Continental Shelf boundary line between the United Kingdom and Norway. This important agreement, when signed, will have the distinction of being the first ever international unitisation agreement covering an offshore gasfield, and will enable the delivery of both British and Norwegian gas from the field to St. Fergus in Scotland in 1977. It will provide the legal and administrative framework for unitised operations in the gasfield and cover such aspects as jurisdiction, inspection, taxation, production and transmission. A copy of the agreement will be laid in due course.