Exploration play statistics in the Southern North Sea region of The Netherlands and UK

This paper presents the historical results of onshore and offshore petroleum exploration in the Anglo-Dutch Basin of the Southern North Sea. A total recoverable resource of 220 Tcfe has been discovered within a contiguous area of 85 000 km². 73% of the resource occurs in The Netherlands. The resource is predominantly gas (207 Tcf), sourced from Upper Carboniferous coals, although the youngest play is oil, sourced from Lower Jurassic shales. There are five plays, partitioned by late Permian-age (Zechstein) salt. In terms of discovered resource they are ranked: (1) Rotliegend aeolian–fluvial sandstones (443 gas discoveries, 417 Bcfe average size); (2) Triassic fluvial sandstones (101 gas discoveries, 140 Bcfe average); (3) Lower Cretaceous paralic–shallow-marine sandstones (61 oil discoveries, 29 MMboe average); (4) Westphalian fluvial sandstones (70 gas discoveries, 88 Bcfe average); and (5) Zechstein carbonates (51 gas discoveries, 83 Bcfe average). Although the main Rotliegend fairway is mature, there are probably discoveries yet to be made in the Westphalian and Zechstein plays, and possibly within the Triassic and Lower Cretaceous plays. There is also potential to extend the Rotliegend play beyond where it is proven: for example, along the northern margin of the basin and towards its centre.