NSTA encouraging UK North Sea operators to step up interventions, development drilling
The number of well interventions on fields across the UK Continental Shelf fell last year to 425, down from 443 in 2023, according to the UK North Sea Transition Authority (NSTA)'s 2025 UKCS Wells Insights Report.
Despite the reduced activity, the interventions that did take place during 2024 delivered total extra production of 37.5 MMboe, and efficient application led to intervention costs dropping from £11 in 2023 to £9.60 per barrel ($14.61-12.75/boe).
About 30% of the UKCS’ well stock was shut in last year, the report added. While many of those wells face decommissioning, the NSTA said a large number could also be reactivated.
Since early 2024, the NSTA has worked with eight operators on the shelf, helping them identify about 200 shut-in wells that it claims could be restored to service. It has also staged workshops in which operators and suppliers discussed ways of generating more intervention activity.
The work has led to more than 50 of the 200 wells coming back online, representing over 8 MMboe. Now the NSTA plans to approach other UK offshore operators to develop further well intervention opportunities.
The authority also wants operators to drill more new development wells on producing fields to achieve cost-effective production via in-place infrastructure. It adds that operators could make further savings by jointly organizing development well drilling campaigns on multiple fields.
Last year, UK operators invested £1.6 billion ($2.12 billion) in drilling 42 development wells, but current plans suggest just 44 development wells in total could be drilled between 2025 and 2027.
Grant will help improve access to North Sea data
In a separate development, the Regulators’ Pioneer Fund has awarded the NSTA a grant for a new North Sea data access project. Some of the money would be allocated for an enhanced Geospatial Data Viewer, allowing users to combine datasets from multiple government agencies in one location.
Further funds will go toward a new AI chatbot to help users navigate the NSTA’s Open Data and National Data Repository portals, also providing responses to research queries.
The new workstreams, which will be assessed next April 2026, should help users to access relevant data for decisions on potential North Sea projects.
About the Author
Jeremy Beckman
Editor, Europe
Jeremy Beckman has been Editor Europe, Offshore since 1992. Prior to joining Offshore he was a freelance journalist for eight years, working for a variety of electronics, computing and scientific journals in the UK. He regularly writes news columns on trends and events both in the NW Europe offshore region and globally. He also writes features on developments and technology in exploration and production.