Celebrating 50 Years of North Sea Oil Production

The team at the North Sea Transition Authority takes a look back at the last 50 years of oil production in the North Sea, and what the future of North Sea oil might look like In the 1970s–1980s development in the North Sea began with fixed offshore platforms in shallow waters. Production relied on vertical drilling and primary recovery methods and major fields like Brent (UK) and Ekofisk (Norway) were discovered and developed. Since then, oil production in the North Sea has largely flourished, bringing around 154,000 current UK jobs in the offshore energy sector alone. On top of this, the industry also supports a wide range of supply chain industries providing vital services and support for the industry. And the oil and gas industry has paid approximately £330 billion (€382 billion) in production taxes to the UK Treasury. As the renewables industry grows, many of the existing oil and gas workforce and supply chain companies are adapting their skills and experience to support the new industries. But the rise in new fuels isn’t the only thing that’s changed in the North Sea. Oil Production Trends Peak oil production in the North Sea occurred in the late 1990s, coinciding...