72 / 84
ECONOMIC REPORT
2016
72
In contrast, there are four times as many fields in production on the
UKCS and output per field is almost ten times lower. In 2015, 306
fields were in operation, producing on average just two million boe
per field. With smaller fields in the UK, access to infrastructure and
export routes present a far greater challenge as many opportunities
are not economically viable standalone developments. This results in
a greater number of tie-back developments to infrastructure hubs,
making UKCS production more interdependent and, subsequently,
more at risk of shutdowns from planned or unplanned maintenance.
The Nexen-operated Buzzard field, currently the most productive
on the UKCS, produced just over 60 million boe in 2015.
Meanwhile, the Statoil-operated Troll gas field, the largest in
Norway, accounts for almost 20 per cent of the country’s total oil
and gas output at 270 million boe. The volumes produced from
Troll alone were the same as the total from the 25 largest fields
on the UKCS in 2015. The presence of larger fields with higher
volumes of recoverable reserves means the NCS has a more
stable production base and benefits from greater economies
of scale.
Figure 52: Top Ten Producing Fields in 2015
0
100
200
300
400
500
600
700
800
900
NCS
UKCS
Million boe
Snorre
Foinaven
Oseberg
Franklin
Gjøa
Captain
Snøhvit
Kinnoull
Ekofisk
Britannia
Skarv
West Franklin
Kvitebjørn
Forties
Åsgard
Golden Eagle
Ormen Lange
Jasmine
Troll
Buzzard
Source: Norwegian Petroleum Directorate, Wood Mackenzie
With smaller fields
in the UK, access to
infrastructure and
export routes present
a far greater challenge
as many opportunities
are not economically
viable standalone
developments.