Geology and hydrocarbon provinces of the North Sea

Abstract

The technically recoverable hydrocarbon reserves of the North Sea are currently estimated at 23 × 109 bbls of oil, condensate and NGL and 90 × 1012 scf of gas. The North Sea underwent a complex geological evolution. The oil and gas occurrences in the central and northern North Sea are tied to Mesozoic and Tertiary sediments; the gas fields of the southern North Sea are mainly contained in Permian series. The proven hydrocarbon provinces cover at best one third of the total area of the North Sea. It is estimated that in the early 1980's the oil production from the North Sea will meet 22% of the oil demand of Western Europe.