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
| 16 Jun 25 |
UK: Government backs 2 major Carbon Capture projects in Aberdeenshire and the Humber Workers in the North Sea and Britain’s manufacturing heartlands will drive forward the country’s industrial renewal, as 2 major carbon capture projects in Aberdeenshire and the Humber receive funding to progress. |
| 16 Jun 25 |
UK: Funding boost for UK hydrogen market a welcome step, says OEUK Offshore Energies UK has welcomed the government announcement of over £500 million to support the development the UK’s first network for hydrogen transport and storage. |
| 16 Jun 25 |
UK: OEUK announces shortlist for Offshore Safety Awards 2025 Offshore Energies UK and Step Change in Safety have announced details of entries shortlisted for this year’s exciting Offshore Safety Awards. The event is designed to maintain and promote the highest professional standards in our industry and is now being sponsored by Torus, an organisation at the forefront of the energy transition |
| 13 Jun 25 |
UK: Rolls-Royce SMR selected to build small modular nuclear reactors Rolls-Royce SMR has been selected as the preferred bidder to partner with Great British Energy - Nuclear to develop small modular reactors, subject to final government approvals and contract signature - marking a new golden age of nuclear in the UK. |
| 12 Jun 25 |
UK/Spain: RES awarded new O&M contracts by TRIG in UK and Spain RES, the world’s largest independent renewable energy company, has been awarded new solar operations and maintenance (O&M) contracts in the UK and Spain by The Renewables Infrastructure Group (TRIG). The agreements build on a longstanding partnership between the parties and expands RES’ European services footprint. |
United Kingdom - more news
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