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Hannon Westwood - UK 29th Frontier Licensing Round Screening Study

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Oilfield Technology,


Hannon Westwood has announced the release of its ‘UK 29th Frontier Licensing Round Screening Study’. In common with the previous reports, the Study describes those previously mapped, undrilled prospects and undeveloped discoveries that fall within the likely area that will be offered for licensing in the upcoming Round.

All of the areas on offer in the UK’s 29th Frontier Licensing Round will require innovative thinking to unlock their potential, as E&A activity on the UKCS has, up until now, been primarily concentrated on the grabenal areas and the southern Gas Basin. Work in the last 5 - 10 years has started to define potential within these frontier areas but has been hampered by lack of good quality seismic data and has seen little of the drill-bit. Unlike previous Licensing Rounds, the acreage will be aerially restricted and was initially indicated as limited to those areas over the Mid North Sea High and Rockall Trough, which were covered by the acquisition of government sponsored 2D broadband seismic data during 2014 and 2015. Subsequently there are indications that the areas to be offered for application will be extended to incorporate some of the additional areas, nominated for inclusion prior to a mid-January deadline. The extent of these additional areas is not yet known but the OGA has indicated that part of the East Shetland Platform in the northern North Sea will be included.

The Study is focused on the unlicensed areas within the areas of government sponsored seismic acquisition over the Mid North Sea High and Rockall Trough. This allows purchasers to key quickly into those surveys to review previously mapped prospectivity and determine whether that potential remains valid. Within the Mid North Sea area there are 83 previously mapped prospects and 5 undeveloped discoveries lying within unlicensed acreage, while for the Rockall Trough there are 7 previously mapped prospects.

Once the full list of blocks on offer in the 29th Frontier Licence Round is released, we will publish an update to reflect this final listing, which will include a description of each undrilled prospect and undeveloped discovery within two weeks of the announcement being made.

Chris Bulley, director at Hannon Westwood, stated that “with E&A activity on the UKCS being at a low ebb, this report offers a cost-effective way to access previously recognised prospectivity within the area to be offered in the upcoming 29th Frontier Round, and avoids duplication of previous mapping efforts, which can only be to the benefit of the purchasing companies”.


Adapted from a press release by David Bizley

Read the article online at: https://www.oilfieldtechnology.com/drilling-and-production/16032016/hannon-westwood-uk-29th-frontier-licensing-round-screening-study/

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