53 / 60
page 53
Figure 43: Cumulative Number of Fields Ceasing Production
0
20
40
60
80
100
120
2015
2016
2017
2018
2019
2020
Cumulative Number of Fields Ceasing Production
2016 Activity Survey
2015 Activity Survey
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.
1
2
3
4
5
6