Total E&P UK announces that it has acquired additional interests in shale gas exploration licences in the United Kingdom. The Petroleum Exploration and Development Licences (PEDL) cover blocks SE41e, SK49, SK89e, SK88b and SK87c in the Gainsborough Trough area. Total also has interests in PEDLs 139 and 140, which are in the same area.
Philippe Guys, Managing Director of Total E&P UK, said: “These new licences extend the area in which Total and its partners can explore for shale gas. We believe that this area has the greatest potential for significant shale gas discoveries in the UK and positions Total as a major player in this promising new industry for Britain.”
The new licences will be held by Total E&P UK (50%), iGas (35%) and Egdon Resources (15%). Initially iGas will be the Licence operator, with Total having an option to become operator beyond the current exploration phase.
About Total Exploration & Production in the United Kingdom
Total has been present in the United Kingdom since 1962 and is one of the country’s leading oil and gas operators, with equity production of 89,000 barrels of oil equivalent per day in 2014. More than 90% of Total’s production in the UK comes from several operated fields located offshore in two major zones: the Alwyn/Dunbar area in the Northern North Sea and the Elgin/Franklin area in the Central Graben, where the West Franklin Phase 2 project was brought on stream earlier this year.
With the imminent start-up of the Laggan project in the West of Shetland area, Total will open its third offshore hub in the UK and a new frontier gas production area for the industry. By the end of 2015, Total is expected to become the second largest producing oil and gas company in the UK.
About Total
Total is a global integrated energy producer and provider, a leading international oil and gas company, and the world’s second-ranked solar energy operator with SunPower. Our 100,000 employees are committed to better energy that is safer, cleaner, more efficient, more innovative and accessible to as many people as possible. As a responsible corporate citizen, we focus on ensuring that our operations in more than 130 countries worldwide consistently deliver economic, social and environmental benefits.