§ Mr. SpearingTo ask the President of the Board of Trade what are his estimates of the date when progressive exhaustion of United Kingdom supplies of North sea gas, over the rate of proven discovery, has been or will be reached and, on the current rate of consumption, the quantities of energy at such dates that will be required from other sources to fill the consequential deficits.
§ Mr. EggarThe table shows that the rate of proven discovery of gas on the United Kingdom continental shelf (as measured by the increase in proven reserves between the end of 1991 and the end of 1992) exceeded gas production in 1992 by 70 billion cubic metres. This indicates progressive enhancement rather than exhaustion.
Gas on the United Kingdom Continental Shelf1 Billion cubic metres 1991 1992 Increase Proven2 reserves at end of period 1,345 1,465 +120 Cumulative production 805 855 +50 Remaining proven gas reserves 540 610 +70 1 Includes onshore and offshore discoveries. 2 Proven reserves are defined as those which on the available evidence are virtually certain to be technically and economically producible (i.e. those reserves which have a better than 90 per cent, chance of being produced). Source: Table 4, Development of the Oil and Gas Resources of the United Kingdom 1993, DTI.