British National Oil Corporation

HC Deb 10 March 1977 vol 927 cc674-6W

Mr. Campbell

asked the Secretary of State for Energy whether in fifth round licences the British National Oil Corporation will have the rôle of operator in any blocks other than those mentioned in his statement of 9th February.

Dr. J. Dickson Mabon

When my right hon. Friend announced the allocation of conditional offers of licences on 9th February in the House he said that the British National Oil Corporation would, by agreement in each with its co-licensees, be the operator in four blocks. I am pleased to say that since then the Corporation has agreed with the request of another group of prospective co-licensees that the Corporation should be operator in two further blocks, numbers 14/16 and 14/17. The companies are: Canadian Industrial Gas (UK) Ltd; Charter Consolidated (UK Offshore Oil Exploration); Charterhouse Petroleum Development; Home Oil Company Ltd.; Tricentrol North Sea Ltd.