Oil & Gas UK Activity Survey 2016

Figure 43: Cumulative Number of Fields Ceasing Production

1

120

2016 Activity Survey

2

2015 Activity Survey

100

80

3

60

4

40

20

5

Cumulative Number of Fields Ceasing Production

0

2015

2016

2017

2018

2019

2020

6

Source: Oil & Gas UK

Comparison by Region The regions with the greatest exposure to near-term decommissioning are the SNS and Irish Sea. Sixteen of the 21 fields that ceased production in 2015 are located in these areas. A further 35 fields are expected to cease between 2016 and 2020, by which time more than half of the fields in these regions will have reached end of field life. This reflects the maturity of these areas in comparison to other regions of the UKCS. Three fields ceased production in the CNS region in 2015, with a further 35 expected by 2020. In total, this represents around one third of the producing fields in the CNS today. Meanwhile, in the NNS area, just two fields ceased production in 2015. The number of fields beginning decommissioning in this region is expected to be relatively low compared to other areas on the UKCS, with ten more fields ending production by 2020, accounting for almost a quarter of the fields in the area.

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