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
| 25 Apr 24 |
UK: PBS announces contract extension with TotalEnergies PBS has secured an extension to the General Maintenance and Operations Contract (GMOC) awarded by TotalEnergies in 2020 to cover its North Sea assets. GMOC services have been extended through to May 2026. |
| 24 Apr 24 |
Serica Energy announces results for the year ended 31 December 2023 AIM-listed Serica Energy, a British independent upstream oil and gas company with operations in the UK North Sea has announced its audited financial results for the year ended 31 December 2023. Serica has delivered a strong set of results for 2023 despite significantly lower sales prices compared to 2022 and a full year of the UK marginal tax rate being at 75%. |
| 24 Apr 24 |
UK: Octopus Renewables Infrastructure Trust signs 10 year PPA with Sky at Crossdykes wind farm Octopus Renewables Infrastructure Trust has announced that the Crossdykes wind farm in Lanarkshire, Scotland has entered into a Power Purchase Agreement ('PPA') with Sky UK. The media and telecoms corporation will purchase the majority of the electricity produced by the 46 MW wind farm. |
| 23 Apr 24 |
UK: Eni announces transformational combination of substantially all of its UK upstream operations with Ithaca Energy Eni has reached an agreement on the combination of substantially all of its upstream assets in the UK, excluding East Irish Sea assets and CCUS activities with Ithaca Energy, marking a strategic move to significantly strengthen its presence on the UK Continental Shelf. |
| 23 Apr 24 |
UK: Kent secures Pre-FEED assessment contract for the Spiorad na Mara offshore wind project Kent has been awarded a contract by Spiorad na Mara Limited for the pre-front end engineering design (Pre-FEED) assessment of the proposed Spiorad na Mara offshore wind farm. The project, formerly known as N4, will play a significant role in helping Scotland achieve its net zero emissions target by 2045. |
United Kingdom - more news
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