Publication - Statistics

Oil and gas production statistics: 2019

Published: 31 March 2021
Directorate: Chief Economist Directorate
Topic: Economy, Energy

Estimates of oil and gas production activity in Scotland (including Scottish adjacent waters) for years 1998 to 2019.

Key results

In 2019, the volume of oil and gas production in Scotland is estimated to have increased by 0.4% to 77.2 million tonnes of oil equivalent (mtoe), accounting for 82 per cent of the UK total.
In 2019, the approximate sales value of oil and gas produced in Scotland is estimated to have been £22.5 billion, a decrease of 11.5% compared to 2018.
Operating expenditure (excluding decommissioning) is estimated to have been £7.5 billion in 2019, up 4.4% from the previous year.
Capital expenditure is estimated to have increased by 17.0% to £6.1 billion in 2019, which is the first annual increase since 2014.

About this release

Correction (8 April 2021): A processing error was identified in the results originally released for natural gas production and sales revenue. The publication now includes the updated results, which are higher in 2019 than originally reported. We apologise for any inconvenience this has caused.

This publication includes estimates of oil and gas production activity in Scotland (including Scottish adjacent waters). It reports production volumes, approximate sales income, operating costs and capital expenditure.

The downloadable publication (pdf) contains a brief summary of the latest calendar year results. The online tables include estimates for calendar years 1998-2019, financial years 1998-99 to 2018-19, and the quarterly estimates which underpin the annual totals up to the end of 2019.

All statistics in this publication are consistent with information published by the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS) and the Oil and Gas Authority (OGA) for total UK oil and gas production, income and expenditure. This includes production from both offshore and onshore oil and gas fields. Estimates for Scotland are based on production data for each individual oil and gas field which is located in Scotland or Scottish adjacent waters.

This publication has been delayed from its usual release date in September due to the focus on other analysis, such as Monthly GDP statistics, during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Further information about this publication can be found in the background notes on page 5 of the full publication.