Oil exploration and production in Scotland

Abstract

Synopsis The oil industry in Scotland spans a period of 136 years from James Young's patent on extracting oil from cannel coal, to the attainment of oil production from the North Sea of 2.6 million barrels per day. Subsequent to the First World War a campaign of onshore oil exploration began in Scotland, which is still in progress today. Operations in offshore Scottish waters have now been in progress for almost 20 years, and activity in 1984 was at a record level. The development of this industry has been subject to constraints in three main areas: technology, economics and legislation. The interaction of these three elements is examined in relation to both onshore and offshore exploration.