§ The Earl of LAUDERDALEasked Her Majesty's Government:
What representations they have made to the Norwegian Government about revising the development programme for that part of the Statfjord oil and gas field which lies in the United Kingdom sector; and what, respectively, are the total estimated oil, and total estimated gas reserves in place as compared with the reserves estimated to 1088WA be first physically, then economically, recoverable either side of the median line respectively.
§ Lord STRABOLGIThe Statfjord field as a whole is being developed under a joint British/Norwegian programme. My right honourable friend the Minister of State for Energy has recently discussed with the Norwegian Government Her Majesty's Government's concern at the rising costs of development of Statfjord and means of reducing these costs in the future and thereby improving the economic recovery of the reserves. I am glad to report that the Norwegian Government fully shares our concern and agrees that all possible ways of keeping costs under better control should be pursued.
On the basis of current information total field reserves are estimated to be of the order of 6 billion barrels of oil and 6 trillion cubic feet of gas. It is too early to forecast recoverability of these reserves.
The two Governments have requested the licensees to make proposals later this year for division of the field. In the meantime development is proceeding with a provisional division of 11.1 per cent. on the British and 88.9 per cent. on the Norwegian side.