Hi-tech plan to boost North Sea supplies

SUPPLIES of North Sea oil and gas could be boosted by 20 per cent thanks to new technology, the government said yesterday.

On a visit to the United States, Malcolm Wicks, the energy minister, witnessed naturally occurring carbon dioxide from an extinct volcano being used to force out oil from ageing fields, and now says the process could be used in the UK.

Denbury Resources uses the enhanced oil recovery techniques to gain access to the from a volcano deep underground near Jackson, Mississippi, then pipes the gas 60 miles to Brookhaven, where it is pressurised and injected into the field to force out reserves.

Mr Wicks said the for similar projects in the North Sea could be sourced from industrial plants, such as power stations. This would mean a "plus" for the environment, he said, with the climate change gas stored underground instead of escaping into the atmosphere.

Mr Wicks said: "The North Sea's fossil fuels are very important to the UK energy mix and the issue of security of supply. There is still an estimated 25 billion barrels of oil equivalent left to exploit, but full recovery is going to become increasingly challenging and will require some innovative technologies."