LONDON: British oil group BP is pressing ahead with a $500m-plus investment in the Shetland Islands, a shot in the arm for the government’s efforts to revive the North Sea oil industry to help kickstart a flagging economy.
Though North Sea output has fallen by about two thirds since 2000 and a surprise tax increase in 2011 led to dire predictions about its future, industry body Oil & Gas UK in February forecast a pick-up in production from 2014, fuelled by renewed government support and a surge in investment.
BP’s investment, which could pave the way for a big add-on project at its Clair field, coincided yesterday with a government effort to boost investment in the oil and gas sector.
Business Minister Vince Cable and Energy Secretary Ed Davey will travel to Aberdeen, known as the oil capital of Europe, where they will pledge government commitment to a stable tax regime for the industry, and announce plans to develop Britain’s supply chain further and try to plug an engineering skills gap.
Under BP’s plans, it will drill at least five appraisal wells in the giant Clair field off the west coast of the Shetland Islands, north of Scotland, to discover whether it is worth further development. Reuters
