Timeline of the oil and gas industry in the United Kingdom
 | This article includes a list of general references, but it lacks sufficient corresponding inline citations. (October 2022) |
The Timeline of the oil and gas industry in the United Kingdom is a selection of significant events in the history of the oil and gas sector in the United Kingdom.[1][2][3][4][5]
| Year | Event |
|---|---|
| 1694 | Patent No. 405 granted for a process to extract pitch, tar and oil from oil stone |
| 1716 | Patent to extract pitch, tar and oil from stone extracted from Shropshire coalmines |
| 1786 | A spring of bitumen found in a tunnel at Ironbridge, Shropshire |
| 1812 | Gas Light and Coke Company established |
| 1836 | Gas found when digging a well for water at Hawkhurst Sussex, gas ignited and killed two men |
| 1843 | Manchester Corporation becomes the first municipal gas undertaking |
| 1847 | Gasworks Clauses Act 1847 (10 & 11 Vict. c. 15) defines rights and obligations of undertakings |
| 1848 | James Oakes and James Young formed a partnership to produce paraffin oil for lamps from crude oil in mine workings |
| 1859 | Sale of Gas Act 1859 (22 & 23 Vict. c. 66) |
| 1860 | Metropolis Gas Act 1860 (23 & 24 Vict. c. 125) |
| 1860 | Sale of Gas Act 1860 (23 & 24 Vict. c. 146) |
| 1861 | Oil shipped from Pennsylvania to London, the first recorded transnational shipment |
| 1862 | Petroleum Act 1862 (25 & 26 Vict. c. 66) to ensure the safe-keeping of petroleum and its products |
| 1864 | Sale of Gas (Scotland) Act 1864 (27 & 28 Vict. c. 96) |
| 1868 | Petroleum Act 1868 (31 & 32 Vict. c. 56) extends the Petroleum Act 1862 to include labelling and flammability tests |
| 1870 | Beckton gas works opened, eventually the largest in the world |
| 1870 | Gas and Water Works Facilities Act 1870 (33 & 34 Vict. c. 70) |
| 1871 | Archibald Cochrane patented a method to extract hydrocarbons from pit coal |
| 1871 | Petroleum Act 1871 (34 & 35 Vict. c. 105) required harbour authorities to make bye-laws regulating the trade in petroleum, repealed the Petroleum Acts 1862 and 1868 |
| 1871 | Gasworks Clauses Act 1871 (34 & 35 Vict. c. 41) amends the 1847 act |
| 1872 | Culross Abbey lit by gas produced from tar |
| 1873 | Gas and Water Works Facilities Act 1870 Amendment Act 1873 (36 & 37 Vict. c. 89) |
| 1876 | Burghs Gas Supply (Scotland) Act 1876 (39 & 40 Vict. c. 49) |
| 1879 | Petroleum Act 1879 (42 & 43 Vict. c. 47) redefined petroleum flash point from 100 °F to 73 °F |
| 1893 | Burghs Gas Supply (Scotland) Act 1893 (56 & 57 Vict. c. 52) |
| 1899 | First edition of The Petroleum Industrial Technical Review by the Petroleum Storage Tanks and Transportation Co. Ltd. |
| 1916 | The Gas (Standard of Calorific Power) Act 1916 (6 & 7 Geo. 5. c. 25) allowed undertakings to change from illuminating power to calorific value for sales |
| 1918 | Burghs Gas Supply (Scotland) Amendment Act 1918 (8 & 9 Geo. 5. c. 45) |
| 1918 | Petroleum (Production) Act 1918 (8 & 9 Geo. 5. c. 52), conferred on landowners the ownership of minerals on their land |
| 1919 | Britain's first oil discovery at Hardscroft, Derbyshire, produced 29,000 barrels between 1919 and 1945 |
| 1920 | The Gas Regulation Act 1920 (10 & 11 Geo. 5. c. 28) changed the basis of charging for gas from its illuminating power, as specified by example in the Gasworks Clauses Act 1871, to its calorific value (or heating power) of the gas. |
| 1925 | Statutory Gas Companies (Electricity Supply Powers) Act 1925 (15 & 16 Geo. 5. c. 44) |
| 1926 | Petroleum Act 1926 (16 & 17 Geo. 5. c. 25) updated Petroleum Acts 1871 and 1879 to reflect changes of use of petroleum |
| 1928 | London Research Centre opened to study manufacture and distribution of gas |
| 1928 | Petroleum (Consolidation) Act 1928 (18 & 19 Geo. 5. c. 32), and Petroleum (Amendment) Act 1928 (18 & 19 Geo. 5. c. 20) petroleum-spirit not to be kept without a licence, transport of petroleum, keeping, use and supply of petroleum-spirit |
| 1929 | Gas Undertakings Act 1929 (19 & 20 Geo. 5. c. 24) |
| 1932 | Gas Undertakings Act 1932 (22 & 23 Geo. 5. c. 40) |
| 1934 | Petroleum (Production) Act 1934 (24 & 25 Geo. 5. c. 36), vested in the Crown the petroleum and natural gas within Great Britain and made provision for the searching and getting of petroleum and natural gas |
| 1934 | Gas Undertakings Act 1934 (24 & 25 Geo. 5. c. 28) |
| 1936 | First deep oil well at Portsdown Hampshire by D’Arcy Exploration Co. Ltd. |
| 1936 | Petroleum (Transfer of Licences) Act 1936 (26 Geo. 5 & 1 Edw. 8. c. 27) |
| 1937 | Gas found at Eskdale Yorkshire by D'Arcy Exploration Co. Ltd. |
| 1937 | Gas found at Dalkeith Scotland by D'Arcy Exploration Co. Ltd. |
| 1939 | Oil found at Formby Lancashire |
| 1939 | Oil found at Earking, Nottinghamshire by D'Arcy Exploration Co. Ltd. |
| 1939 | Petroleum Board established to manage petroleum supplies under war conditions |
| 1941 | Oil found at Dukes Wood, Nottinghamshire by D'Arcy Exploration Co. Ltd. |
| 1941 | Oil found at Kelham Hills, Nottinghamshire by D'Arcy Exploration Co. Ltd. |
| 1941 | Heysham refinery commissioned to produce high octane fuel for combat aircraft |
| 1943 | Oil found at Caunton Nottinghamshire by D'Arcy Exploration Co. Ltd. |
| 1943 | Oil found at Nocton, Lincolnshire by D'Arcy Exploration Co. Ltd. |
| 1948 | Gas Act 1948 (11 & 12 Geo. 6. c. 67) nationalised the UK gas industry with effect from 1 May 1949, established 12 area boards and the Gas Council |
| 1954 | Rights of Entry (Gas and Electricity Boards) Act 1954 (2 & 3 Eliz. 2. c. 21) |
| 1956 | Nationalisation of the Suez Canal by Egypt, Suez crisis |
| 1959 | Oil discovered at Kimmeridge, Dorset by BP |
| 1959 | First trans-national shipment of liquefied natural gas, landed at Canvey Island from USA |
| 1963 | Electricity and Gas Act 1963 (c. 59) |
| 1964 | Oil discovered at Wareham, Dorset by BP |
| 1964 | First shipment of Liquefied Natural Gas, landed at Canvey Island from Algeria |
| 1964 | Continental Shelf Act 1964 (c. 29), made provision for the exploration and exploitation of the continental shelf, enacted provisions of the 1958 Geneva Convention on the High Seas |
| 1965 | Gas Act 1965 (c. 36), the Gas Council was given powers to manufacture or acquire gas and supply gas in bulk to Area Boards |
| 1965 | Gas found at Lockton North Yorkshire by Home Oil |
| 1965 | Peak number of service station 41,000 in the UK |
| 1965 | Gas discovered at West Sole field by BP |
| 1965 | Sea Gem disaster, 13 fatalities |
| 1967 | First North Sea Gas arrived onshore at Easington terminal from West Sole field |
| 1967 | Torrey Canyon tanker disaster 60,000 tons of oil released |
| 1968 | Bacton gas terminal inaugurated |
| 1968 | Diesel and electric trains supersede steam trains in UK |
| 1968 | Gas and Electricity Act 1968 (c. 39) extended the powers of the Gas Council to borrow money |
| 1970 | First oil discovered in the UK sector of the North Sea, Forties Field |
| 1971 | Lockton gas field comes onstream |
| 1971 | Mineral Working (Offshore Installations) Act 1971 (c. 61), provided for the safety, health and welfare of persons on installations concerned with the underwater exploitation and exploration of oil and gas |
| 1972 | Gas Act 1972 (c. 60), merged the gas boards, abolished the Gas Council, established the British Gas Corporation |
| 1972 | Theddlethorpe terminal opened, gas feed from Viking field |
| 1973 | Gas Council discover Wytch Farm oil field |
| 1973 | The October or Yom Kippur war, Arab oil states reduce production and embargo supplies, OPEC set high prices precipitating an economic crisis |
| 1974 | Gas discovered at Morecambe Bay |
| 1975 | Petroleum Revenue Tax introduced by Oil Taxation Act 1975 (c. 22) |
| 1975 | First Oil production from the North Sea, Argyll Field by BP |
| 1975 | Offshore Petroleum Development (Scotland) Act 1975 (c. 8), the acquisition by the Secretary of State of land in Scotland for the exploration and exploitation of offshore petroleum |
| 1975 | Petroleum and Submarine Pipe-lines Act 1975 (c. 74), established the British National Oil Corporation; provisions about licences to search for and get petroleum and about submarine pipe-lines and refineries |
| 1976 | Shell Heysham refinery closed |
| 1978 | St. Fergus gas terminal opened |
| 1979 | Shah of Iran overthrown, the second 1970s oil crisis |
| 1980 | Petroleum Revenue Tax Act 1980 (c. 1), new provisions on petroleum revenue tax |
| 1981 | BP announces the closure of Kent Refinery |
| 1981 | Gas field discovered at Hatfield Moors, Yorkshire |
| 1981 | Oil field discovered at Humbly Grove, Hampshire by Carless Capel |
| 1981 | UK became a net exporter of oil |
| 1981 | Burmah Ellesmere port refinery closed |
| 1981 | Gas Levy Act 1981 (c. 3) |
| 1982 | Oil and Gas (Enterprise) Act 1982 (c. 23) |
| 1983 | Petroleum Royalties (Relief) Act 1983 (c. 59), conferred on petroleum production licence holders an exemption from royalties |
| 1983 | ExxonMobil Milford Haven refinery closed |
| 1984 | Shell Teesport Refinery closed |
| 1984 | Control of Industrial Major Accident Hazards Regulations 1984 introduced |
| 1985 | Gas field at Kirby Misperton discovered by Taylor Woodrow |
| 1985 | Oil and Pipelines Act 1985 (c. 62) abolishes the British National Oil Corporation, establishes the Oil and Pipelines Agency |
| 1985 | UK oil exports peaked |
| 1986 | Advance Petroleum Revenue Tax Act 1986 (c. 68), repayment of advance petroleum revenue tax |
| 1986 | Gas Act 1986 (c. 44), privatised the gas industry, established British Gas and Ofgas as regulator |
| 1986 | Fall in oil price |
| 1987 | Explosion at BP Refinery Grangemouth, one fatality |
| 1987 | Government shares in BP sold |
| 1987 | Petroleum Act 1987 (c. 12), provisions for the abandonment of offshore installations and submarine pipe-lines; amended the Petroleum (Production) Act 1934; amended the Petroleum and Submarine Pipe-lines Act 1975 |
| 1988 | Piper Alpha disaster, 167 fatalities |
| 1989 | Petroleum Royalties (Relief) and Continental Shelf Act 1989 (c. 1), conferred on holders of petroleum licences an exemption from petroleum royalties from onshore and offshore fields and to conferred power to amend the Continental Shelf (Designation of Additional Areas) Order 1974 |
| 1990 | Liberalisation of the gas market 'the dash for gas' power generators allowed to burn gas |
| 1992 | Offshore Safety Act 1992 (c. 15) comes into force |
| 1993 | UK (Scotland) to Ireland gas interconnector commissioned 24-inch |
| 1993 | Gas (Exempt Supplies) Act 1993 (c. 1) |
| 1994 | Explosion and Fire at Texaco Milford Haven refinery |
| 1995 | Shell intended to sink redundant Brent Spar in deep water, Greenpeace occupy the Spar |
| 1995 | Gas Act 1995 (c. 45), amended parts of the Gas Act 1986; made provision for owners of certain gas processing facilities to make them available to other persons |
| 1997 | UK became a net exporter of gas |
| 1998 | Petroleum Act 1998 (c. 17), consolidated enactments about petroleum, offshore installations and submarine pipelines |
| 1998 | Interconnector Bacton to Zeebrugge commissioned |
| 1999 | Peak of UK oil production |
| 1999 | Shell close Shell Haven oil refinery |
| 1999 | Control of Major Accident Hazards (COMAH) Regulations came into force |
| 2003 | UK to Ireland gas interconnector 2, with a 10-inch branch to the Isle of Man commissioned |
| 2004 | UK became a net importer of gas |
| 2005 | Buncefield explosions and fire at oil terminal in Hertfordshire |
| 2006 | BBL pipeline (Balgzand - Bacton Line) commissioned |
| 2007 | Oil & Gas UK established |
| 2007 | Peak of UK petrol sales |
| 2011 | Explosion and fire at Chevron Pembroke refinery |
| 2011 | Petroplus Teesside refinery closed |
| 2011 | Peak of UK diesel sales |
| 2012 | Closure of Petroplus Coryton oil refinery |
| 2014 | Nynas Dundee refinery closes |
| 2015 | Control of Major Accident Hazards (COMAH) Regulations 2015 replace COMAH 1999 |
| 2018 | Closure of Theddlethorpe gas terminal |
| 2018 | Domestic Gas and Electricity (Tariff Cap) Act 2018 (c. 21) |
See also
[edit]References
[edit]- ^ Shepherd, Mike (2015). Oil Strike North Sea: A first-hand history of North Sea oil. Luath Press.
- ^ British Gas (1980). Gas Chronology: the Development of the British Gas Industry. London: British Gas.
- ^ Williams, Trevor I. (1981). A History of the British Gas Industry. Oxford: Oxford University Press. ISBN 0198581572.
- ^ More, Charles (2009). Black Gold: Britain and Oil in the Twentieth Century. London: Continuum. ISBN 9781847250438.
- ^ Craig, Jonathan, Francesco Gerali, Fiona MacAulay and Rasoul Sorkhabi (21 June 2018). "The history of the European oil and gas industry (1600s–2000s)". Geological Society, London, Special Publications. 465 (1). London: Geological Society, London, Special Publications, 465: 1.1–24. Bibcode:2018GSLSP.465....1C. doi:10.1144/SP465.23. S2CID 134156290.
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