High interest in offshore but low commitments in UK round
134 licences were awarded, and a further 94 are subject to environmental assessment
Awards made in November in the UK’s 28th licensing round point to a high level of interest in the offshore, particularly from smaller explorers - but work commitments add up to only six firm wells. The majority of operators have committed only to reprocessing existing seismic data, although all licences provide for a drill-or-drop well option. The Department of Energy and Climate Change (DECC) awarded an initial 134 licences covering 252 blocks, and said another 94 licence applications are still subject to environmental assessment. The round could therefore prove to be larger than the 27th round, under which 219 licences were awarded in 2012 and 2013. Promote licences, under which small com
Also in this section
18 February 2026
With Texas LNG approaching financial close, Alaska LNG advancing towards a phased buildout and Magnolia LNG positioned for future optionality, Glenfarne CEO Brendan Duval says the coming year will demonstrate how the company’s more focused, owner-operator approach is reshaping LNG infrastructure development in the North America
18 February 2026
The global gas industry is no longer on the backfoot, hesitantly justifying the value of its product, but has greater confidence in gas remaining a core part of the global energy mix for decades
18 February 2026
With marketable supply unlikely to grow significantly and limited scope for pipeline imports, Brazil is expected to continue relying on LNG to cover supply shortfalls, Ieda Gomes, senior adviser of Brazilian thinktank FGV Energia,
tells Petroleum Economist
17 February 2026
The 25th WPC Energy Congress, taking place in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia from 26–30 April 2026, will bring together leaders from the political, industrial, financial and technology sectors under the unifying theme “Pathways to an Energy Future for All”
