BP Awarded Seven Exploration Licences in UK North Sea

BP confirmed that it has been awarded licence interests in seven offshore exploration blocks in the UK’s 26th Seaward Licencing Round. The awards – five blocks operated by BP and two blocks operated by a partner – together represent the largest licence award BP has received in the UK for more than a decade.

“These licence awards are a significant success for BP and a further boost to the long-term future of our North Sea business,” said Trevor Garlick, Regional President for BP in the North Sea. “With six major projects currently underway in the UK and Norwegian sectors, BP is investing strongly in the North Sea to develop today’s resource base and we are also building a complementary portfolio of future opportunities.”

The awards, made by the UK Department of Energy and Climate Change, support BP’s focused programme of exploration and appraisal in the North Sea. The strategy is based on developing new fields which can be tied in to BP’s existing infrastructure hubs.

The blocks awarded are:

16/24a (split) - Kinnoull area – Central North Sea
22/20b - ETAP area – Central North Sea
22/30e (split) - Culzean area (operated by Maersk) - Central North Sea
23/26e - Culzean area (operated by Maersk) - Central North Sea
30/1a (split) - Kessog area - Central North Sea
47/10c (split) - West Sole SNS area – Southern North Sea
48/6c (split) - West Sole SNS area – Southern North Sea