Bigger new discoveries are feeding growing optimism about drilling on the UK continental shelf, even though the number of exploration wells remain at historically low levels and concerns remain about development drilling, writes Rob Watts.
Just eight exploration wells were drilled in 2018, the first year less than 10 have been drilled on the UK continental shelf since commercial volumes were first discovered in the basin in 1965, trade body Oil & Gas UK (OGUK) said in its latest annual Business Outlook report, published on Wednesday.
