ECONOMIC REPORT 2013
57
In addition, the Technology Strategy Board
15
has funded some £22 million of oil and gas
related projects since 2007 (11 per cent of its
energy funding).
Looking to the future, it is clear that the
prosperity of the UKCS will be significantly
influenced by successful development and
implementation of new technologies. In
recent years, the number of operators has
increased, while the role of the major IOCs
has decreased. As a consequence, the ability
of operators to undertake R&D in-house has
declined. This means that, more than ever, an
efficient, industry-wide system of research
through to deployment in the field is required.
The technical challenges facing this diverse
range of operators are becoming greater, as
outlined below:
• Current exploration success rate is low
compared with other oil and gas provinces.
The exploration targets are small and
geologically complex and sometimes with
high pressures and temperatures.
• Current oil field recovery factors in the
central and northern North Sea are just
over 40 per cent. IOR and EOR technologies
will be required to increase the average
recovery factor to above 50 per cent.
• Much of the infrastructure is beyond its
design life, requiring comprehensive plans
to extend its life and increase recovery
(note the Health and Safety Executive’s
Key Programme 4 on asset integrity
referenced in footnote 4).
• Cessation of production from critical fields
could constrain access to new resources.
• The remaining reservoirs hold resources
which are increasingly difficult to recover.
• Long and/or complex subsea tie-backs are
necessary for many new developments.
• Decommissioning is a growing activity
across the UKCS.
However, the above challenges represent an
enormous opportunity for the companies
involved and for Scotland and the UK as a
whole, hence the work of the task force, PILOT,
in addressing these matters (see ‘The Road
to 2040’ in Section 4) and the two industrial
strategies discussed earlier in this section.
Figure 40: New Technology – the Treatment of Injected Water for EOR Purposes in the Clair Field
15
See
Heat
Exchangers
Lift
Pumps
Coarse
Filters
UF Membrane
Pre-treatment
Membrane
Desalination
De-aeration
WI
Pumps
WI
Wells
Electro
Chlorinator
Chemical
Dosing
Sea Water
Excess
CW + Brine
Other
Users
Source: BP
