Following the announcement of Douglas-Westwood joining the ESIA Group on 7th December, we were delighted to be able to exhibit with our new colleagues at PROSPEX 2015 in London on 9th and 10th December. Together with ESIA members Hannon Westwood, Novas Consulting and Richmond Energy Partners, we looked to showcase the group’s well-established E&P consulting and analytics offering alongside DW’s respected oilfield service-focused capabilities.

PROSPEX 2015 commenced with the OGA’s Gunther Newcombe providing an overview of the current state-of-play in the North Sea and information on the upcoming 29th and 30th licensing rounds. The 29th round will feature acreage in the frontier Rockall basin, an area opened up considerably by a government-sponsored 3D seismic shot earlier this year. Additionally, Mr. Newcombe outlined the OGA’s strategy for the coming years – looking to encourage exploration in both mature and frontier areas as well as greater collaboration between operators.

Ireland proved to be a key theme over the two days of PROSPEX following the country’s most successful licensing round this year with 43 applications submitted – mostly for acreage on the Atlantic Margin. This is nearly three times the number of applications received in the 2011 offering.

As is the usual focus for PROSPEX, a host of independents exhibited oil & gas prospects from around the world. Many companies were advertising promising opportunities around the British Isles, whilst some players chose to introduce prospects from unexplored international regions. Tullow Oil demonstrated the potential of a number of blocks from either side of the Atlantic whilst Envoi showed-off finds from all corners of Africa.