§ Mr. David StewartTo ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry (1) if he will list by field the number of licences issued by the Government for North Sea and Atlantic oil and gas exploration where no development has taken place; [122832]
(2) if he will make a statement on his Department's policy on the inspection and enforcement in respect of fallow fields in the United Kingdom Continental Shelf. [122837]
§ Mrs. Liddell[holding answer 19 May 2000]: The Department of Trade and Industry classifies as "fallow" any block on the UKCS which is currently licensed and not in its initial term but which has seen no drilling activity for six years or more. A "fallow" discovery is one that was made six years or more ago but which has not yet been developed. (Acreage that has been determined as a field would not generally be classified as "fallow".)
193 significant discoveries made up to 31 December 1999 have not yet been developed. The definition of "significant" discoveries used here is based on flow rates achieved during well tests. It makes no attempt to take account of commercial viability. Work is proceeding on some of these discoveries to bring them to development, but in each case no Development Plan has yet been approved. These discoveries are not necessarily the same as those that are the subject of the Fallow Discoveries Initiative because many are less than six years old. They are as listed.
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Well number Licence Operator at the end of 1999 Licence number Date discovered 48/22–1 Mobil P.697 November 1966 48/30–3 Phillips P.028 June 1967 53/04–1 ARCO P.039 July 1967 48/21–1 Unlicensed P.047 August 1967 41/24a-1 Unlicensed P.759 September 1969 41/25a-1 Unlicensed P.759 September 1969 30/02–1 Shell P.098 June 1971 30/13–2 Phillips P.079 September 1972 3/25a-2 Total P.090 July 1974 49/12a-6 Conoco P.033 September 1974 211/13–1 Shell P.296 November 1974 16/29–4 Phillips P.110 February 1975 21/02–1 ARCO P.244 June 1975 211/13–2 Shell P.296 July 1975 211/18–9 Britoil P.236 September 1975 15/13–2 Enterprise P.198 October 1975 211/13–3 Shell P.296 December 1975 21/02–2 Union Texas P.244 December 1975 9/19–2 Mobil P.103 May 1976 14/20–6Z Amerada Hess P.324 June 1976 9/19–3 Mobil P.103 December 1976 211/19a-6 Kerr McGee P.104 January 1977 16/22–2 Elf P.240 May 1977 211/22–1 Veba P.201 May 1977 206/08-41A BP P.165 July 1977 210/15–2 Fina P.226 October 1977 207/01–3 Texaco P.183 Oct 1977 14/18–1 Elf Caledonia P.263 May 1978 3/28a–2 Chevron P.234 September 1978 21/24–1 Veba P.021 November 1978 29/03a–2 Shell P.012 January 1979 123W
Well number Licence Operator at the end of 1999 Licence number Date discovered 2/05–10 DNO P.242 September 1979 30/12b–2 Amoco P.185 February 1981 20/02–1 Petrobras P.317 April 1981 21/19–1A Shell P.238 April 1981 21/15a–2 Britoil P.120 August 1981 29/05a–1 Shell P.188 September 1981 21/23b–1 Shell P.353 January 1982 9/11–2 Texaco P.335 September 1982 12/27–1 Amerada Hess P.981 January 1983 48/19a–3 Shell P.008 March 1983 22/05b–3 BG E & P P.356 May 1983 29/09a–1 Shell P.012 June 1983 9/24b–1A BP P.338 September 1983 16/18–1 Britoil P.312 September 1983 29/08b–2 Amerada Hess P.227 December 1983 2/10a–6 Unlicensed P.234 December 1983 16/13a–2Z Petrobras P.219 January 1984 22/02–2 Unlicensed P.354 February 1984 211/22a–3 Veba P.201 March 1984 30/06–3Z Shell P.011 May 1984 29/02a–2 Conoco P.224 June 1984 42/15b–1 Total P.137 June 1984 214/30–1 BG E & P P.303 August 1984 22/19–1 Elf Caledonia P.357 August 1984 98/11–2 Unlicensed P.406 August 1984 16/03a–4 Marathon P.108 September 1984 21/30–12 Shell P.013 September 1984 49/04–1 Centrica P.468 Oct 1984 16/12a–5 LASMO P.212 December 1984 47/10–1 BP P.001 February 1985 4/26–1A Elf P.229 June 1985 16/23–4 Conoco P.103 July 1985 29/09b–2 Ranger P.227 September 1985 16/13a–3 Petrobras P.219 November 1985 21/03a–4 Conoco P.118 December 1985 48/14–2 Shell P.008 December 1985 13/30–3 Amerada Hess P.310 March 1986 22/27a–2 Ranger P.114 March 1986 49/19–4 Shell P.008 March 1986 3/30–3 Elf P.229 April 1986 211/14–1 Shell P.296 April 1986 15/18a–6 Veba P.233 May 1986 30/01c–4 BP P.363 August 1986 206/01–2 Total P.911 September 1986 22/02–5 Premier P.354 October 1986 43/18–1 Amoco P.512 November 1986 21/28a–2 Monument P.077 December 1986 49/28–14 ARCO P.037 April 1987 9/15a–1 Kerr McGee P.090 June 1987 47/03b–4 BG E & P P.016 July 1987 49/29b–5 Mobil P.105 July 1987 29/06a–3 Elf Caledonia P.244 September 1987 14/20b–18 Amerada Hess P.324 October 1987 44/28–3 Shell P.453 October 1987 48/23–3 ARCO P.467 November 1987 98/07–2 BP P.534 November 1987 48/10b–3 Conoco P.519 December 1987 22/12a–1 Enterprise P.077 December 1987 3/19b–2 Total P.491 June 1988 15/29a–3 Texaco P.119 July 1988 110/03b–4 Kerr McGee P.543 December 1988 3/20a–1 Total P.239 December 1988 43/19–1 Amoco P.607 January 1989 44/19–3 CalEnergy P.610 January 1989 15/21a–38Z Amerada Hess P.218 February 1989 22/13a–1 Enterprise P.096 February 1989 3/03–11 Kerr McGee P.202 March 1989 9/14b–4 Kerr McGee P.277 March 1989 42/28a–3 Amoco P.016 April 1989 21/27–1A Fina P.595 April 1989 43/20b–2 Amoco P.608 May 1989 48/09–2 Conoco P.459 May 1989 14/19b–23 Elf Caledonia P.250 June 1989 124W
Well number Licence Operator at the end of 1999 Licence number Date discovered 30/14–1 Fina P.255 August 1989 53/02–8 Mobil P.025 September 1989 48/07b–8 Britoil P.138 October 1989 16/22–5 Elf P.240 October 1989 42/29–6 BP P.001 November 1989 30/03a–1 Petrobras P.111 November 1989 22/30a–5 Shell P.012 November 1989 16/03a–11 Marathon P.108 January 1990 30/13–3 Phillips P.079 February 1990 15/17–24 Elf Caledonia P.250 March 1990 15/24a–4 Chevron P.209 May 1990 44/22b–8 Conoco P.451 May 1990 42/28b–5 Amoco P.606 July 1990 42/29–7 BP P.001 July 1990 15/25b–3 Unlicensed P.417 July 1990 13/22b–4 Talisman P.635 July 1990 205/26a–3 Amerada Hess P.164 October 1990 9/19–8 Mobil P.103 January 1991 49/11b–8 Conoco P.130 February 1991 48/22–4 Mobil P.697 February 1991 21/20b–4 Shell P.421 March 1991 16/12a–14 LASMO P.212 May 1991 30/02a–2 Shell P.098 May 1991 30/07a–10 Phillips P.032 August 1991 110/08a–4 Burlington P.251 October 1991 3/19a–4 Total P.239 November 1991 110/02b–10 Burlington P.706 January 1992 44/17–2 Conoco P.691 January 1992 44/16–1Z LASMO P.690 February 1992 43/21–2 Unlicensed P.682 February 1992 22/29–2 Shell P.012 March 1992 15/21a–46 Amerada Hess P.218 April 1992 44/23a–10 Total P.452 April 1992 205/26a–4 Amerada Hess P.164 May 1992 22/22b–2 PanCanadian P.233 May 1992 15/21b–47 Amerada Hess P.218 June 1992 15/20b–11Y Unlicensed P.735 October 1992 53/03c–3 Amoco P.786 November 1992 211/23b–11 Amerada Hess P.721 December 1992 16/12a–18Z LASMO P.212 December 1992 113/29–2 Unlicensed P.712 December 1992 44/24–4 Fina P.611 January 1993 22/25b–5 Shell P.598 January 1993 30/11b–3 Amoco P.185 February 1993 29/07–5 Shell P.012 March 1993 15/21b–50 Amerada Hess P.588 September 1993 16/26–25 Chevron P.213 October 1993 44/29b–4 Fina P.454 November 1993 15/21a–51 Amerada Hess P.218 December 1993 110/13–14 BHP P.710 December 1993 47/03e–8 BP P.774 January 1994 16/29a–11Y Phillips P.110 January 1994 49/09a–3 Shell P.132 February 1994 43/22–2 Unlicensed P.683 April 1994 15/29a–9 Texaco P.119 September 1994 211/23b–12 Amerada Hess P.721 October 1994 103/01–1 Marathon P.804 October 1994 49/18–5Z Amoco P.016 April 1995 16/03b–8Z Marathon P.313 May 1995 50/26b–6 Britoil P.703 June 1995 22/30a–14Z Shell P.012 July 1995 48/20a–7 Shell P.008 September 1995 204/19–8Z BP P.556 June 1996 20/05c–6 Talisman P.593 July 1996 14/29a–3 Shell P.739 September 1996 210/24a–8 Amerada Hess P.472 October 1996 11/24–1 Amerada Hess P.807 November 1996 22/18–7 Amoco P.292 November 1996 14/18b–12 Texaco P.580 November 1996 21/19–6 Shell P.238 December 1996 49/19–6 Shell P.008 January 1997 15/23d–13 BG E & P P.815 February 1997 9/11b–11 Texaco P.726 April 1997
Well number Licence Operator at the end of 1999 Licence number Date discovered 22/23b–5 Shell P.233 September 1997 211/21a–17 Shell P.296 December 1997 14/26a–6 ARCO P.300 January 1998 44/17a–4 Conoco P.691 February 1998 47/10–6 BG E & P P.776 March 1998 49/19–7 Shell P.008 June 1998 21/12–3 Shell P.073 August 1998 16/21c–32 Talisman P.344 November 1998 30/07a–12 Phillips P.032 February 1999 29/04d–4 Elf P.752 March 1999 211/23a–15Z Shell P.269 April 1999 21/24–6 Shell P.021 August 1999 I am withholding details of four recent discoveries at the request of the operators for reasons of commercial confidentiality.