The North Sea Transition Authority (NSTA) said that production remained low in 2021 versus pre-pandemic levels but that current project pipelines and a new licensing round would boost drilling activity.
Production totalled around 480 million barrels in 2021, compared with 600 million in 2019.
The NSTA’s Wells Insight Report found that pre-pandemic drilling operations were taking place in 141 wells in 2019. But last year, drilling operations began on only 66 wells, including five exploration, five appraisal and 56 development wells, similar to levels recorded in 2020.
The report suggests that a focus on second wellbores, the new licensing round and maintaining existing wells could all help boost production in years to come.
NSTA head of technology Carlo Procaccini said: “Amid the energy crisis, it is vital that North Sea industry works quickly to secure additional supplies of oil and gas, produced as cleanly as possible. That means drilling more new wells...