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 Aug 26 |
UK: United Infrastructure expands Scottish operations with New Alness office to support SSEN Transmission United Infrastructure has officially opened its new office in Alness, marking a significant milestone in the company's commitment to supporting our major investment in the north of Scotland’s electricity network. |
| 03 Aug 26 |
UK: AGCC warns UK cannot afford further North Sea uncertainty after BP exit decision Aberdeen & Grampian Chamber of Commerce (AGCC) has urged ministers to deliver swift approvals for the Jackdaw and Rosebank developments, warning that the UK's energy industry cannot afford further uncertainty following BP's decision to market its North Sea business. |
| 01 Aug 26 |
UK: BP puts North Sea business up for sale Prime Minister Andy Burnham faces a 'defining moment' in the wake of the announcement that BP is putting its North Sea business up for sale. While the news rocks the region, BP is only the latest employer to seek to exit the North Sea on the back of years of uncertainty around policy, damaging taxation and conflicting information from government about the future of oil and gas in the UK. |
| 31 Jul 26 |
UK: Uniper selects SLB Capturi carbon capture technology for UK power project SLB Capturi™ has been selected as the preferred carbon capture technology licensor for Uniper’s proposed Connah’s Quay Low Carbon Power (CQLCP) project in Deeside, United Kingdom. The selection follows a competitive front-end engineering and design process that began in December 2024. |
| 31 Jul 26 |
UK: bp to market its North Sea business bp has announced that it is launching a process to market its North Sea business for a potential sale. The decision forms part of bp's ongoing portfolio review and reflects its disciplined approach to capital allocation - all in service of creating a simpler, stronger and more valuable company. |
United Kingdom - more news
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