SINCE the Forties oil fields near Aberdeen produced its first barrels of oil in 1975, scores have followed in its wake.
As well as oil itself, numerous gas and condensate fields, a natural gas by-product in liquid form, have come into production in Scottish waters.
As part of our exclusive series investigating the impact of the McCrone Report (a secret government memorandum compiled 49 years ago by the Scotland Office) on energy policy, the cost-of-living crisis and a whole other host of issues affecting modern Scotland, we have put together a series of interactive graphs to set out the scale of production in the North Sea.
READ MORE: McCrone Report: How the document influenced the Scotland Act
In total, 180 fields' first production have been logged by the North Sea Transition Authority (NSTA), the rebranded industry regulator Oil and Gas Authority (OGA), since 1975.
The first two oil fields, Forties and AUK, came online in 1975. Since then, a steady supply of fossil fuels has made its way out of Scottish waters.
How many of each kind of field have been brought into production?
As you can see from the graph above, by far there have been a significant number of oil fields that have successfully started production in the North Sea - 138.
Condensate fields come second with 34 logging their first production since 1975, compared to only eight gas fields.
How many oil fields were brought online each year?
NSTA data logs each individual field by the first date they produced either oil, gas or condensate, so for The National's analysis we had to combine the data into each year and by each product.
As you can see from the graph above, this revealed that 1996, the last year of the UK Conservative government under John Major, was when the highest amount of fields completed production for the first time in one year.
The second, 2017, was just a few years after Scotland voted No in the independence referendum.
How does this look over time?
Our interactive graph above shows the number of oil fields that produced their first fossil fuels each year from 1975 until 2022.
As NSTA do not give locations for these fields, except for grid references, we have also compiled them into a list below for ease.
Year, Number of fields, Hydrocarbon type, Name.
1975 2 OIL FORTIES, AUK
1976 3 OIL MONTROSE, BERYL, PIPER
1977 1 OIL CLAYMORE
1978 1 OIL NINIAN
1979 2 OIL STATFJORD [UK], SOUTH CORMORANT
1982 1 OIL CORMORANT NORTH
1983 2 OIL BRAE SOUTH (Pt of BRAE), MAGNUS
1985 2 OIL HIGHLANDER, SCAPA
1986 2 GAS SEAN NORTH, sean south
1986 1 OIL PETRONELLA
1987 2 OIL CLYDE, NESS, NORTH ALWYN
1988 1 CONDENSATE BRAE NORTH (Pt of BRAE)
1989 1 OIL TERN
1990 3 OIL ARBROATH, CYRUS, KITTIWAKE
1992 3 OIL LEVEN, GANNET D, GANNET C
1992 1 GAS GANNET B
1993 8 OIL LYELL, HUDSON, SCOTT, GRYPHON, TIFFANY, GANNET A, TONI, STRATHSPEY
1993 1 CONDENSATE BRAE EAST
1993 1GAS BRUCE
1994 4 OIL ALBA, NELSON, MACHAR, DUNBAR
1994 1 GAS EAST SEAN
1994 1 CONDENSATE ELLON
1995 1 OIL BIRCH
1995 2 CONDENSATE JUDY, JOANNE
1996 10 OIL PELICAN, HARDING, ANDREW, NEVIS, GUILLEMOT A, TEAL SOUTH, THELMA, TELFORD, BRIMMOND, ARKWRIGHT
1997 3 OIL TEAL, CAPTAIN, FOINAVEN
1997 3 CONDENSATE FLEMING, DRAKE, ERSKINE
1998 6 OIL GANNET E, GALLEY, MALLARD, SCHIEHALLION, LOYAL [Part of SCHIEHALLION], MONAN
1998 3 CONDENSATE BRITANNIA, GRANT, MARNOCK
1999 4 OIL PIERCE, ROSS, GANNET G, BUCKLAND
2000 5 OIL BITTERN, GUILLEMOT WEST, COOK, GUILLEMOT NORTH WEST, KEITH
2001 3 CONDENSATE ELGIN, FRANKLIN, SKENE
2001 2 OIL BLAKE, KESTREL
2002 2 CONDENSATE JADE, HAWKINS
2002 5 OIL MACLURE, TULLICH, OTTER, MIRREN, MADOES
2003 5 OIL PENGUIN EAST, PENGUIN WEST, CALEDONIA, SYCAMORE, CLAPHAM
2003 2 CONDENSATE SEYMOUR, BRAEMAR
2004 2 OIL NETHAN, HOWE
2005 6 OIL CARNOUSTIE, CLAIR, GADWALL, PICT, BRECHIN, FARRAGON
2005 2 CONDENSATE FORVIE NORTH, GLENELG
2005 1 GAS RHUM
2006 1 OIL GOOSANDER
2007 7 OIL DONAN, TWEEDSMUIR, ENOCH, BLANE, DUART, SAXON, WOOD
2008 1 CONDENSATE BRODGAR
2008 6 OIL MARIA, TWEEDSMUIR SOUTH, BOA, CALLANISH, CHESTNUT, GROUSE
2009 1 OIL AFFLECK
2010 4 OIL LOCHRANZA, MAULE, BARDOLINO, LOIRSTON,
2011 1 OIL FALCON
2012 2 CONDENSATE ISLAY, DEVENICK
2012 2 OIL BACCHUS, LYBSTER
2013 3 OIL CORMORANT EAST, TONTO, BALLOCH
2013 1 CONDENSATE JASMINE
2014 2 OIL GOLDEN EAGLE, KINNOULL
2015 5 OIL PEREGRINE, ENOCHDHU, GODWIN, CLADHAN, SOLITAIRE
2016 2 CONDENSATE LAGGAN, TORMORE
2016 3 OIL SOLAN, CRATHES, SCOLTY
2016 1 GAS AVIAT
2017 9 OIL STELLA, FLYNDRE, SHAW, CALLATER, KRAKEN, KRAKEN NORTH, HARRIS, BARRA, CATCHER,
2017 3 CONDENSATE CAYLEY, EDRADOUR, GLENLIVET
2018 2 OIL BURGMAN, GARTEN
2019 4 OIL ORLANDO, BALLINDALLOCH, MARINER, BARNACLE
2019 2 CONDENSATE UTGARD, STORR
2020 2 OIL ALLIGIN, VORLICH
2020 1 CONDENSATE FRAM
2021 2 CONDENSATE ARRAN, FINLAGGAN
2021 1 GAS LOMOND (COLUMBUS)
2022 1 OIL EVELYN
Source: North Sea Transition Authority
Why are you making commenting on The National only available to subscribers?
We know there are thousands of National readers who want to debate, argue and go back and forth in the comments section of our stories. We’ve got the most informed readers in Scotland, asking each other the big questions about the future of our country.
Unfortunately, though, these important debates are being spoiled by a vocal minority of trolls who aren’t really interested in the issues, try to derail the conversations, register under fake names, and post vile abuse.
So that’s why we’ve decided to make the ability to comment only available to our paying subscribers. That way, all the trolls who post abuse on our website will have to pay if they want to join the debate – and risk a permanent ban from the account that they subscribe with.
The conversation will go back to what it should be about – people who care passionately about the issues, but disagree constructively on what we should do about them. Let’s get that debate started!
Callum Baird, Editor of The National
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules hereLast Updated:
Report this comment Cancel