OGUK issues North Sea investment warning
The industry lobby group is concerned that a slowdown in UKCS spending does not translate into a stop
Investment on the UK continental shelf (UKCS) in 2020 fell by around a third from almost £5.5bn ($7.6bn) the previous year, to £3.7bn, the lowest level in real terms since 1973, according to the Economic Report 2021, released at the start of September by industry lobby group Oil and Gas UK (OGUK). The contraction in investment seen by the UK’s oil and gas industry is larger than that seen across the sector globally, estimated as down by 27pc year on year by consultancy Rystad Energy The decline is also greater than that seen by other sectors of the UK economy. Overall UK business investment fell by 17pc in early 2020 compared with before the pandemic, according to the country’s official stat
Also in this section
10 March 2026
Eni’s director for global gas and LNG portfolio, Cristian Signoretto, discusses how demand will respond to rising LNG supply, and how the company is expanding its own gas and LNG operations through disciplined, capital-efficient investments
9 March 2026
Petroleum Economist analysis sees increases in output from Saudi Arabia, Venezuela and Kazakhstan among others before region’s murky descent
9 March 2026
Energy sanctions are becoming an increasingly prominent tool of US foreign policy, with the country’s growth in oil and gas production allowing it to impose pressure on rivals without jeopardising its own energy security or that of its allies, argues Matthew McManus, a visiting fellow at the National Center for Energy Analytics
6 March 2026
The March 2026 issue of Petroleum Economist is out now!






