Europe / Caspian / CIS
Country profile: United Kingdom
| Location: | Western Europe, islands including the northern one-sixth of the island of Ireland between the North Atlantic Ocean and the North Sea, northwest of France |
| Climate: | temperate; moderated by prevailing southwest winds over the North Atlantic Current; more than one-half of the days are overcast |
| Terrain: | mostly rugged hills and low mountains; level to rolling plains in east and southeast |
| Size: | 244820 sq. km total (Land area: 241590 sq. km Water area: 3230 sq.km) |
| Population: | 60,943,912 (July 2008 est.) |
| Languages: | English, Welsh (about 26% of the population of Wales), Scottish form of Gaelic (about 60,000 in Scotland) |
| Government: | constitutional monarchy |
| Capital city: | London |
| Legal system: | based on common law tradition with early Roman and modern continental influences; has nonbinding judicial review of Acts of Parliament under the Human Rights Act of 1998; accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction, with reservations |
| Currency: | British pound (GBP) |
| Licensing: |
Country profile
The United Kingdom (UK) is an important political and economic power in Europe and the world. It has the second-largest economy in the European Union (EU) with a nominal 2005 gross domestic product (GDP) of $2.2 trillion. The UK economy grew by 1.8 percent in 2005, with growth of 2.2 percent forecasted for 2006. While the UK has been a member of the EU since 1973, it does not participate in the European single currency, the Euro. The UK is the largest producer of oil and natural gas in the EU.
However, after years of being a net exporter of both fuels, the UK became a net importer of natural gas in 2004. Government estimates also predict that the country will become a net importer of oil by the end of the decade. Production from UK oil and natural gas fields peaked in the late 1990s and has declined steadily over the past several years, as the discovery of new reserves has not kept pace with the maturation of existing fields. In response, the government has begun a three-pronged approach to address the predicted domestic shortfalls: 1) increasing domestic production through efficiency gains and the exploitation of marginal fields; 2) establishing necessary import infrastructure, such as liquefied natural gas (LNG) receiving terminals and transnational pipelines; and 3) investing in energy conservation and renewables.
Energy production and consumption
| Oil | Gas | |
| Production: | 1 million bbl/day (2005 est.) | 84 billion cu m (2005 est.) |
| Consumption: | 1 million bbl/day (2005 est.) | 91 billion cu m (2005 est.) |
| Exports: | 1 million bbl/day (2005 est.) | 8 billion cu m (2005 est.) |
| Imports: | 1 million bbl/day (2005 est.) | 15 billion cu m (2005 est.) |
| Reserves: | 4 billion bbl (1 January 2006 est.) | 509 |
| Major fields: |
United Kingdom - recent news
| 03 Nov 25 |
UK: Angus Energy announces third quarter 2025 production, operations, corporate and finance update Production from the Saltfleetby Field in the Third Quarter of 2025 was 374 million standard cubic feet of natural gas and 6,519 barrels of gas condensate. Gas sales of 4.16 million therms were achieved in the Quarter from the Saltfleetby Field. Legacy Hedges have rolled off, and Company recorded a hedging profit of £0.152m in the quarter. |
| 03 Nov 25 |
UK: Copenhagen Infrastructure Partners acquires first biogas plant in the UK Copenhagen Infrastructure Partners (CIP), through its CI Advanced Bioenergy Fund I (CI ABF I), has made a final investment decision to acquire a combined pre-treatment and biogas plant from Ørsted, a Danish renewable energy company. |
| 03 Nov 25 |
UK: OEUK prepares offshore workforce for new safety policy in 2026 OEUK is raising awareness of a new safety policy that has been developed by industry in response to concerns highlighted by the Maritime and Coastguard Agency (MCA) regarding the limitations of Search and Rescue winching systems. These systems, critical for the rescue of offshore personnel, are designed to safely lift individuals weighing under 124kg (over 19 stone). |
| 31 Oct 25 |
UK: Simply Blue Group welcomes strategic investment from Kansai Electric to accelerate offshore wind expansion Simply Blue Group, a leading developer of renewable energy projects, has announced that Kansai Electric Power Co., Inc. ('KEPCO') has signed a Share Subscription Agreement with Simply Blue Group’s offshore wind development arm. This strategic investment marks KEPCO’s first investment involving management participation in an offshore wind developer. |
| 30 Oct 25 |
UK: Kanadevia Inova acquires Wardley and Lower Drayton biogas plants to expand renewable gas portfolio Kanadevia Inova, a global leader in solutions for the energy transition and circular economy, has announced the successful acquisition of the Wardley Biogas and Lower Drayton biogas plants in the UK. |
United Kingdom - more news
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