VAST oil and gas reserves could lie off Scotland’s coast in the Rockall Basin
VAST undiscovered reserves of oil and gas could lie around Scotland’s coast, experts have claimed.
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A team from the University of Aberdeen studied rock formations around a tiny outcrop situated 300 miles off the Western Isles.
Earlier attempts to search for oil near Rockall have been largely unsuccessful and so little exploration has been done.
Only 12 wells have ever been drilled in the Rockall Basin compared with about 4,000 in the North Sea.
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A small amount of gas was found in one well but the rest were unsuccessful.
The Rockall Basin is one of the most challenging environments on earth
But after studying new seismic data, geologists say drilling has been carried out in the wrong areas.
Speaking to BBC Scotland, geologist Dr Nick Schofield said: “The Rockall Basin is one of the most challenging environments on earth when it comes to hydrocarbon explorations, but our analysis has revealed that one of the barriers to success may have been a misunderstanding of the subsurface geology.
"By analysing seismic data, we found that the character of areas where operators hoped to find oil may have been misleading.”
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In simple terms, subsea bumps were previously thought to be the most likely location for finding trapped oil but none has been discovered there.
Now it is believed oil may have been pushed further away from Rockall by “volcanic intrusions”.
The new data comes from seismic surveys carried out for the Oil and Gas Authority to try to stimulate the sector.
It does not guarantee that large reserves of oil will be found but suggests the area is worth further exploration.
