Operations
Driving efficient and sustainable energy solutions for the UK
At the heart of the energy industry is the operational phase – from planning through to execution and the resultant production of energy, or increasingly in future storage systems.
As a nation we are committed to achieving the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals – one of which is affordable and clean energy.
The UK relies on our operational members to execute projects efficiently and effectively, with implementation of decades worth of plans, policy, and research & development, to deliver cleaner energies that power both the nation and the energy transition itself.
- Wells
- Subsurface
- Broader Areas
Offshore drilling remains essential to meeting the UK’s energy needs as we progress towards a net-zero future.
OEUK’s Wells Forum exists to provide a body through which members can:
- Identify industry best practices, guidelines and standards applicable to UKCS well design, construction and management and intervention operations which can be implemented throughout industry.
- Optimise reservoir management and well operations to maximise recovery of the UK’s oil and gas resources
- Provide regulators and stakeholders with a way to discuss cross-industry issues relevant to improving health, safety and environmental excellence.
- Create an agenda, support OEUK with speakers and general preparation for the annual OEUK Wells Conference.
- Support new areas of well activity such as CCUS, hydrogen and geothermal opportunities
OEUK produces and hosts the most widely utilised guidelines across the entire industry and is widely cited as the standard for approaching the topic of well integrity by regulators, government, academia, operators and supply chain.
- CCUS Well Decommissioning Task-finish Group
- Reservoir and Wells Optimisation – Wells Task Force
- Rig and Vessel Assurance and Capability Task-finish Group
- Scour Protection and Stabilisation Task-finish Group
- Well Integrity
- Well Emissions Task Group
Exploration has a critical role in the UK’s low carbon future – whether that be through energy production or storage.
Geoscience skills, access to excellent data and modelling, and consistent government policies are required to unlock the benefits that exploration brings to the UK.
OEUK’s Subsurface Forum acts as a body for all members to share best practices, review subsurface cross industry opportunities and challenges, and promote interactions with other industry stakeholders and regulators.
In the last 12 months the group has covered:
- Exploration licensing results, outlook covering both petroleum production and CCUS licensing rounds
- Utilisation of subsurface with the reservoir optimisation through linkage to the Reserves Progression Group
- The role of geoscience within the Decommissioning Excellence Task Group
- The co-ordination of an annual OEUK Exploration & Subsurface Conference
OEUK hosts the following groups on an ad-hoc basis.
OEUK’s FPSO Network acts to provide a pan-industry, regular network where issues of common interest, relevant experiences and incidents can be discussed to share good practice and enable sharing of lessons learned.
Open to all operator and contractor members with an interest in FPSOs and tankers, with regulators invited on occasion. Non-members are regularly invited as guests to present to the group.
OEUK’s Terminals Workgroup focuses upon safe, efficient and effective terminal operations. With terminal operators being the cross-over point between upstream and downstream energy production, this workgroup links strongly with emissions reduction topics and the NSTD surrounding future hydrogen production and CO2 capturing opportunities.
Group members include terminal operators, relevant supply chain organisations, and regulators.
Efficiency in operations
The UK energy industry is committed to improving productivity and reducing costs through collaboration and best practice sharing.
Key initiatives focus on optimizing processes, streamlining operations, and providing tools and resources that support continuous improvement. These efforts ensure the sector remains competitive while advancing the transition to a low-carbon future.
