History of oil and gas exploration in NW England
When people think of oil & gas in the UK, they generally picture rigs and platforms in the harsh environments of the North Sea. However, the first commercial oil discovery in the country was made onshore near Formby, shortly before the Second World War.
Following the discovery of the shallow Formby field, numerous deeper exploration wells were drilled across Lancashire, although whilst oil and gas indications were seen in a number of these wells, including around Formby itself and at Croxteth in Liverpool, no large discoveries were made. Focus then shifted to the offshore East Irish Sea.
The discovery of the large South Morecambe gasfield in 1974 led to further offshore gas discoveries and the commencement of gas production, with the gas coming ashore at Barrow-in-Furness and Point of Ayr. It was not until 1992 that the first offshore oil in Liverpool Bay was discovered at the Lennox and Douglas fields.
A number of further onshore wells, drilled in the 1980s and 1990s, including Little Crosby 1 located in what is now Aurora's PEDL 164 licence area, encountered non-commercial indications of oil and gas.
Aurora acquired the PEDL 164 licence in the 13th Onshore Licensing Round in 2008, at the same time that Cuadrilla Resources acquired a large licence (PEDL 165) immediately to the north. Cuadrilla Resources believed that deeply-buried Carboniferous-age rocks had the potential to be productive for gas and this was later proven by drilling and testing. The existence of this significant new exploration target in the North West is supported by subsequent detailed work conducted by the British Geological Survey.
In the 14th Onshore Licensing Round, Aurora added three further licences in the area to make the company a leading player in the exploration for new oil and gas resources in North West England.
Link to Society of Petroleum Engineers paper on the area's exploration history ($)
Following the discovery of the shallow Formby field, numerous deeper exploration wells were drilled across Lancashire, although whilst oil and gas indications were seen in a number of these wells, including around Formby itself and at Croxteth in Liverpool, no large discoveries were made. Focus then shifted to the offshore East Irish Sea.
The discovery of the large South Morecambe gasfield in 1974 led to further offshore gas discoveries and the commencement of gas production, with the gas coming ashore at Barrow-in-Furness and Point of Ayr. It was not until 1992 that the first offshore oil in Liverpool Bay was discovered at the Lennox and Douglas fields.
A number of further onshore wells, drilled in the 1980s and 1990s, including Little Crosby 1 located in what is now Aurora's PEDL 164 licence area, encountered non-commercial indications of oil and gas.
Aurora acquired the PEDL 164 licence in the 13th Onshore Licensing Round in 2008, at the same time that Cuadrilla Resources acquired a large licence (PEDL 165) immediately to the north. Cuadrilla Resources believed that deeply-buried Carboniferous-age rocks had the potential to be productive for gas and this was later proven by drilling and testing. The existence of this significant new exploration target in the North West is supported by subsequent detailed work conducted by the British Geological Survey.
In the 14th Onshore Licensing Round, Aurora added three further licences in the area to make the company a leading player in the exploration for new oil and gas resources in North West England.
Link to Society of Petroleum Engineers paper on the area's exploration history ($)
Map of onshore and offshore petroleum licences (Aurora licences in purple). Also offshore oil and gas fields in the East Irish Sea and location of onshore wells
