UK 32nd offshore licensing round confirms raft of seismic projects

 The seismic services industry has received a much-needed boost after the UK provisionally awarded licences in UK waters with work commitments attached. 

The UK Oil and Gas Authority (OGA) has offered 113 licence areas over 259 blocks or part-blocks to 65 companies in the UK’s 32nd Offshore Licensing Round. 

In the Northern North Sea Azinor will carry out seismic data conditioning and studies on blocks 2/4b, 2/5b, 2/5c, 210/25c, 210/30c, 211/26b; on blocks 3/9c, 3/10a, 3/14c, 3/15d Summit will obtain and reprocess 3D seismic and studies; on block 3/11a Corallian will obtain 3D seismic and studies; on blocks 3/25b, 3/30, 4/26, 9/5a Serica will obtain 3D seismic and studies; on blocks 9/4, 9/8b, 9/9e Cycle will carry out a CSEM Feasibility study and acquire CSEM data; on blocks 9/12c, 9/13e and 9/14f Apache and Chrysaor will carry out 3D seismic reprocessing and studies; on blocks 9/23c, 9/24a, 9/27a, 9/28c and 9/29b Eni will shoot new 3D seismic and studies; and on block 9/27b Tangram will conduct 3D seismic reprocessing and studies. 

Central North Sea 

In the Central North Sea Azinor, in partnership with Chrysaor, will will obtain 3D seismic and studies on blocks 16/18b, 16/23b, 16/24c; on blocks 13/17b and 13/18 Ithaca will reprocess 3D seismic and studies; on blocks 14/20c Parkmeaad will reprocess 3D seismic and studies; on blocks 14/20g and 15/16g Parkmead, in partnership with Pharis Energy, will reprocess 3D seismic and studies; on block 14/26b Tangram, in partnership with Summit, will reprocess 3D seismic and studies; on blocks 15/18e and 15/19c United will obtain 3D seismic; on blocks 15/23d, 15/24a, 15/25d Zennor, in partnership with Chrysaor, will obtain 3D seismic, reprocess and studies; on 16/27d Chrysaor in partnership with Spirit, Zennor and Ithaca will reprocess 3D seismic; on 19/5b Talon will obtain 2D seismic and reprocess 3D seismic; on 20/2b Talon will obtain 3D seismic and reprocess and studies; on 21/7a, 21/8b and 21/9b Apache will obtain 3D seismic; on 21/12b, 21/13b, 21/14b, 21/17a, 21/18b, 21/18d Finder will obtain and reprocess 3D seismic; On 21/20b Zennor will obtain 3D seismic; on 21/19d and 21/24b Ithaca will shoot new 3D seismic and obtain 3D seismic and studies; on 22/1a Ithaca and Spirit will reprocess 3D seismic and studies; on 22/2b Chrysaor and partners DNO and Zennor will obtain and reprocess 3D seismic and studies; on 22/6d Apache will shoot new 3D seismic; on 22/15b Chrysaor will obtain 3D seismic and studies; on blocks 22/15a, 22/18c, 22/19c, 22/20c and 22/24i BP will shoot 3D seismic and obtain 3D seismic; on 22/17a Deltic will obtain 3D seismic and studies; on block 22/23c Neptune has won one block and will obtain and reprocess 3D seismic and studies; on blocks 22/26c and 22/27a Total and partner Neptune will reprocess 3D seismic and studies; on blocks 23/16d and 23/17 Chrysaor will obtain 3D seismic and studies; on 23/27b DNO will obtain 3D seismic and studies; on block 28/8a Talon will obtain and reprocess 3D seismic and obtain 2D seismic data; on block 29/10d DNO will obtain 3D seismic and studies; on blocks 29/14, 29/15, 30/6c and 30/11c Chrysaor will obtain 3D seismic and studies; on block 29/20a Spirit and partner Neptune will obtain 3D seismic and studies; on blocks 30/1g, 30/6b Ithaca will obtain 3D seismic and studies; on block 30/12e Chrysaor will obtain 3D seismic and studies; on 22/25c Total and BP will obtain 3D seismic and studies; on 22/26b Summit will obtain and reprocess 3D seismic and studies; and on 20/6c, 20/7c, 20/8a, 20/11a, 20/12a Azinor and Finder Energy will obtain and reprocess 3D seismic and studies. 

Southern North Sea 

In the Southern North Sea Shell and partner Spirit will obtain and reprocess 2D seismic and studies on blocks 35/22, 35/23, 35/27, 41/1, 41/2; on blocks 36/30b, 42/5b, and 43/1a Ardent Horizon Energy and partner Modiin will shoot new 3D seismic; on blocks 41/5b and 42/1b Deltic and Shell will process 3D seismic and studies; on blocks 42/2c, 42/7b Shell will obtain and reprocesses 3D seismic and studies; on blocks 42/13b, 42/17, 42/18 Deltic will reprocesses 3D seismic and studies; on blocks 42/19 and 42/20b Deltic will obtain 3D seismic and studies and reprocess 3D seismic, on blocks 42/22 and 42/23 Deltic will obtain and reprocess 3D seismic and studies; on 42/28g Parkmead will reprocess 3D seismic and studies; on blocks 43/11 and 43/12b Deltic will obtain and reprocess 3D seismic and studies; on block 43/13a Spirit and partner Halo will obtain 3D seismic and studies and shoot new 3D; on block 43/14c Painted Wolf will obtain 2D seismic and studies; on blocks 43/19a and 43/20b Spirit will shoot new 3D; on blocks 43/20a, 44/16, 44/17 and 44/18b Neptune will reprocess 3D seismic and studies; on block 43/25 Holywell and partner Resolute will reprocess 3D seismic and studies and shoot new 3D data; on blocks 48/5a, 48/4a, 43/29a and 43/30a Holywell and partner Resolute will complete a gas-to-wire study and obtain 3D seismic data; on blocks 44/21a, 44/22a 44/23c Neptune will reprocess 3D seismic data; on block 47/15b Burgate will obtain 2D and 3D data and studies; on blocks 48/9, 48/14b Tangram and partner Summit will reprocess 3D data and studies; on blocks 48/13c, 48/14c, 48/18e and 48/19d Tangram and partner Summit will reprocess 3D data and studies; on blocks 48/23d and 48/24c IOG will reprocess 3D seismic data; and on blocks 49/21e and 49/22b and IOG and partner CalEnergy will reprocess 3D data seismic and studies. 

West of Sheltand 

In West of Sheltland BP will shoot new 3D data on blocks 204/23b; on blocks 205/1b, 205/2b, 205/3, 205/6, 205/7, 213/28, 213/29 Suncor will shoot new 3D data; on blocks 205/11, 205/16b, 205/17 and 205/18 Siccar Point will shoot new 3D data; on blocks 206/3, 206/4b, 206/8b, 214/28b, 214/29b and 214/30e Total and partners Ineos and SSE will reprocess 3D seismic data and studies; on blocks 206/6a, 206/7b Athena will obtain 2D and 3D data and reprocess 3D seismic data and studies; on blocks 208/7a, 208/8a, 208/9a, 208/10a, 108/12b, 208/13a and 208/15 Athena will obtain and reprocess 3D seismic data and studies and shoot new 3D data; on blocks 211/11 and 211/16b Cornerstone will reprocess 3D seismic data and studies; on blocks 211/16d, 211/17a and 211/18i Shell will reprocess 3D seismic data and studies; on blocks 212/30, 213/21, 213/22, 213/26a, 213/27b, 213/27c Siccar Point and partner Shell will obtain and reprocess 3D seismic data and studies and shoot new 3D data; on blocks 214/4c, 216/29a, 216/30b, 217/26b and 217/27a Athena will obtain 2D and 3D data, reprocess 3D seismic and studies and shoot new 3D data; on blocks 214/12a, 214/13a, 214/14b, 214/17, 214/18a and 214/19a Total and partner Shell will reprocess 3D seismic data and studies; and on blocks 214/29c and 214/30c Corallian will reprocess 3D seismic data and studies. 

The round offered blocks in mature, producing areas close to existing infrastructure, under the flexible terms of the Innovate Licence. This enables applicants to define a licence duration and phasing. The majority of the licences will enter the initial term (phase A or phase B exploration stage) and 16 of the awards are for licences that will proceed straight to second term, either for potential developments, or redevelopments of fields where production had ceased and the acreage had been relinquished. 

The OGA provided a suite of new data and analyses, prospect and discovery reports, well and seismic data to support this round. The creation of the National Data Repository (NDR) in 2019 improved data availability and access. 

The OGA will not run a licence round in what would have been the 2020/21 period. This will allow relinquishments to take place so more coherent areas may be reoffered in future, giving industry time to deliver on work commitments in the existing portfolio of licences. ‘Industry is encouraged to use the pause to acquire data and carry out studies in preparation for the next round. The OGA will engage with industry on the timing and nature of the next offshore licensing round,’ said the OGA in a statement.