Gas discovery in the North Sea described as "most important in a decade"

A major gas discovery in the center of the North Sea is described as the greatest discovery of more than a decade.

China's state-owned CNOOC has announced it has made gas discovery – the equivalent of 250 million barrels of oil – in its Glengorm project, east of Aberdeen.

Other evaluation work is planned, but it is understood that they could be extracted using the existing infrastructure.

Friends of the Earth in Scotland said the discovery was terrible news for the climate.

Glengorm is located 190 km east of Aberdeen, near the fields of Elgin-Franklin and Culzean of Total, and could be linked to one of their platforms.

Total holds a 25% interest in the Glengorm field.

Xie Yuhong of CNOOC said the company "is looking forward to a new badessment".

Still life in mature waters

Total's Kevin McLachlan added, "Glengorm is another big success for Total in the North Sea, with better-than-expected results and high condensate efficiency in addition to gas.

"Our strong position in the region will allow us to leverage existing infrastructure nearby and optimize the development of this discovery.

"Glengorm is an achievement that demonstrates our ability to create value in a mature environment through our deep understanding of the pond."

Wood Mackenzie badysts have called the discovery more important in the North Sea since the discovery of the Culzean field in 2008.

Kevin Swann, Senior Analyst, said: "There is a lot of hype around the border areas, like the Shetland West, where Total discovered the Glendronach field last year, but Glengorm is in the North Sea Central and this discovery shows more mature British waters ".

Environmental groups have criticized this discovery, which they say will contribute more to climate change.

They want energy companies to leave oil and gas in the ground and focus instead on renewable sources.

Climate destruction

Caroline Rance, Friends of the Earth Scotland, said: "It's a shame that oil and gas exploration is continuing in the seas off Scotland.

"It is high time that our governments stop supporting the development of fossil fuels and seriously consider planning a fair transition for this industry.

"These companies know all too well that their business relies on the destruction of the climate, which ravages millions of people around the world, but they continue to seek to profit from the disaster."

The Oil and Gas Authority praised this discovery and said it demonstrated the tremendous potential that the industry has yet to offer.

General Manager Andy Samuel said, "This is very exciting news, Glengorm was mapped for the first time about 20 years ago, it's great to see CNOOC seize the opportunity to explore and finish a challenging well. at high pressure and high temperature.

"Our official estimate is that it still remains between 10 and 20 billion barrels and that it remains to recover, so that there remains a chance to find even greater discoveries, provided that the industry can increase exploration drilling and capitalize on the real value of the UK. " "

Energy Minister Paul Wheelhouse said the announcement "highlights the significant potential for oil and gas that still exists under the waters of Scotland".

He added: "Scotland's offshore oil and gas industry has an important role to play with up to 20 billion barrels of oil equivalent remaining in the North Sea and the wider basin. that it contributes to enhancing security transition to a low-carbon energy system ".