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.

+Timeline of the UK oil and gas industryYearEvent1694Patent No. 405 granted for a process to extract pitch, tar and oil from oil stone1716Patent to extract pitch, tar and oil from stone extracted from Shropshire coalmines1786A spring of bitumen found in a tunnel at Ironbridge, Shropshire1812Gas Light and Coke Company established1836Gas found when digging a well for water at Hawkhurst Sussex, gas ignited and killed two men1843Manchester Corporation becomes the first municipal gas undertaking1847Gasworks Clauses Act 1847 (10 & 11 Vict. c. 15) defines rights and obligations of undertakings1848James Oakes and James Young formed a partnership to produce paraffin oil for lamps from crude oil in mine workings1859Sale of Gas Act 1859 (22 & 23 Vict. c. 66)1860Metropolis Gas Act 1860 (23 & 24 Vict. c. 125)1860Sale of Gas Act 1860 (23 & 24 Vict. c. 146)1861Oil shipped from Pennsylvania to London, the first recorded transnational shipment1862Petroleum Act 1862 (25 & 26 Vict. c. 66) to ensure the safe-keeping of petroleum and its products1864Sale of Gas (Scotland) Act 1864 (27 & 28 Vict. c. 96)1868Petroleum Act 1868 (31 & 32 Vict. c. 56) extends the Petroleum Act 1862 to include labelling and flammability tests1870Beckton gas works opened, eventually the largest in the world1870Gas and Water Works Facilities Act 1870 (33 & 34 Vict. c. 70)1871Archibald Cochrane patented a method to extract hydrocarbons from pit coal1871Petroleum 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 c. 105) required harbour authorities to make bye-laws regulating the trade in petroleum, repealed the Petroleum Acts 1862 and 1868 1871Gasworks Clauses Act 1871 (34 & 35 Vict. c. 41) amends the 1847 act1872Culross Abbey lit by gas produced from tar1873Gas and Water Works Facilities Act 1870 Amendment Act 1873 (36 & 37 Vict. c. 89)1876Burghs Gas Supply (Scotland) Act 1876 (39 & 40 Vict. c. 49)1879Petroleum Act 1879 (42 & 43 Vict. c. 47) redefined petroleum flash point from 100 °F to 73 °F1893Burghs Gas Supply (Scotland) Act 1893 (56 & 57 Vict. c. 52)1899First edition of The Petroleum Industrial Technical Review by the Petroleum Storage Tanks and Transportation Co. Ltd.1916The Gas (Standard of Calorific Power) Act 1916 (6 & 7 Geo. 5. c. 25) allowed undertakings to change from illuminating power to calorific value for sales1918Burghs Gas Supply (Scotland) Amendment Act 1918 (8 & 9 Geo. 5. c. 45)1918Petroleum (Production) Act 1918 (8 & 9 Geo. 5. c. 52), conferred on landowners the ownership of minerals on their land1919Britain's first oil discovery at Hardscroft, Derbyshire, produced 29,000 barrels between 1919 and 19451920The 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.1925Statutory Gas Companies (Electricity Supply Powers) Act 1925 (15 & 16 Geo. 5. c. 44)1926Petroleum Act 1926 (16 & 17 Geo. 5. c. 25) updated Petroleum Acts 1871 and 1879 to reflect changes of use of petroleum1928London Research Centre opened to study manufacture and distribution of gas1928Petroleum (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-spirit1929Gas Undertakings Act 1929 (19 & 20 Geo. 5. c. 24)1932Gas Undertakings Act 1932 (22 & 23 Geo. 5. c. 40)1934Petroleum (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 1934Gas Undertakings Act 1934 (24 & 25 Geo. 5. c. 28)1936First deep oil well at Portsdown Hampshire by D’Arcy Exploration Co. Ltd.1936Petroleum (Transfer of Licences) Act 1936 (26 Geo. 5 & 1 Edw. 8. c. 27)1937Gas found at Eskdale Yorkshire by D'Arcy Exploration Co. Ltd.1937Gas found at Dalkeith Scotland by D'Arcy Exploration Co. Ltd.1939Oil found at Formby Lancashire1939Oil found at Earking, Nottinghamshire by D'Arcy Exploration Co. Ltd.1939Petroleum Board established to manage petroleum supplies under war conditions1941Oil found at Dukes Wood, Nottinghamshire by D'Arcy Exploration Co. Ltd.1941Oil found at Kelham Hills, Nottinghamshire by D'Arcy Exploration Co. Ltd.1941Heysham refinery commissioned to produce high octane fuel for combat aircraft1943Oil found at Caunton Nottinghamshire by D'Arcy Exploration Co. Ltd.1943Oil found at Nocton, Lincolnshire by D'Arcy Exploration Co. Ltd.1948Gas 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 Council1954Rights of Entry (Gas and Electricity Boards) Act 1954 (2 & 3 Eliz. 2. c. 21)1956Nationalisation of the Suez Canal by Egypt, Suez crisis1959Oil discovered at Kimmeridge, Dorset by BP1959First trans-national shipment of liquefied natural gas, landed at Canvey Island from USA1963Electricity and Gas Act 1963 (c. 59)1964Oil discovered at Wareham, Dorset by BP1964First shipment of Liquefied Natural Gas, landed at Canvey Island from Algeria1964Continental 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 Seas1965Gas Act 1965 (c. 36), the Gas Council was given powers to manufacture or acquire gas and supply gas in bulk to Area Boards1965Gas found at the Lockton field in North Yorkshire by Home Oil Company of Canada1965Peak number of service station 41,000 in the UK1965Gas discovered at West Sole field by BP1965Sea Gem disaster, 13 fatalities1967First North Sea Gas arrived onshore at Easington terminal from West Sole field1967Torrey Canyon tanker disaster 60,000 tons of oil released1968Bacton gas terminal inaugurated1968Diesel and electric trains supersede steam trains in UK1968Gas and Electricity Act 1968 (c. 39) extended the powers of the Gas Council to borrow money1970First oil discovered in the UK sector of the North Sea, Forties Field1971Lockton gas field comes onstream1971Mineral 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 gas1972Gas Act 1972 (c. 60), merged the gas boards, abolished the Gas Council, established the British Gas Corporation1972Theddlethorpe terminal opened, gas feed from Viking field1973Gas Council discover Wytch Farm oil field1973The October or Yom Kippur war, Arab oil states reduce production and embargo supplies, OPEC set high prices precipitating an economic crisis1974Gas discovered at Morecambe Bay1975Petroleum Revenue Tax introduced by Oil Taxation Act 1975 (c. 22)1975First Oil production from the North Sea, Argyll Field by BP1975Offshore 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 petroleum1975Petroleum 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 refineries1976Shell Heysham refinery closed1978St. Fergus gas terminal opened1979Shah of Iran overthrown, the second 1970s oil crisis1980Petroleum Revenue Tax Act 1980 (c. 1), new provisions on petroleum revenue tax1981BP announces the closure of Kent Refinery1981Gas field discovered at Hatfield Moors, Yorkshire1981Oil field discovered at Humbly Grove, Hampshire by Carless Capel1981UK became a net exporter of oil1981Burmah Ellesmere port refinery closed1981Gas Levy Act 1981 (c. 3)1982Oil and Gas (Enterprise) Act 1982 (c. 23)1983Petroleum Royalties (Relief) Act 1983 (c. 59), conferred on petroleum production licence holders an exemption from royalties 1983ExxonMobil Milford Haven refinery closed1984Shell Teesport Refinery closed1984Control of Industrial Major Accident Hazards Regulations 1984 introduced1985Gas field at Kirby Misperton discovered by Taylor Woodrow1985Oil and Pipelines Act 1985 (c. 62) abolishes the British National Oil Corporation, establishes the Oil and Pipelines Agency1985UK oil exports peaked1986Advance Petroleum Revenue Tax Act 1986 (c. 68), repayment of advance petroleum revenue tax1986Gas Act 1986 (c. 44), privatised the gas industry, established British Gas and Ofgas as regulator1986Fall in oil price1987Explosion at BP Refinery Grangemouth, one fatality1987Government shares in BP sold1987Petroleum 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 19751988Piper Alpha disaster, 167 fatalities1989Petroleum 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 1990Liberalisation of the gas market 'the dash for gas' power generators allowed to burn gas1992Offshore Safety Act 1992 (c. 15) comes into force1993UK (Scotland) to Ireland gas interconnector commissioned 24-inch 1993Gas (Exempt Supplies) Act 1993 (c. 1)1994Explosion and Fire at Texaco Milford Haven refinery1995Shell intended to sink redundant Brent Spar in deep water, Greenpeace occupy the Spar1995Gas 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 persons1997UK became a net exporter of gas1998Petroleum Act 1998 (c. 17), consolidated enactments about petroleum, offshore installations and submarine pipelines1998Interconnector Bacton to Zeebrugge commissioned1999Peak of UK oil production1999Shell close Shell Haven oil refinery1999Control of Major Accident Hazards (COMAH) Regulations came into force2003UK to Ireland gas interconnector 2, with a 10-inch branch to the Isle of Man commissioned2004UK became a net importer of gas2005Buncefield explosions and fire at oil terminal in Hertfordshire2006BBL pipeline (Balgzand - Bacton Line) commissioned2007Oil & Gas UK established2007Peak of UK petrol sales2011Explosion and fire at Chevron Pembroke refinery2011Petroplus Teesside refinery closed2011Peak of UK diesel sales2012Closure of Petroplus Coryton oil refinery2014Nynas Dundee refinery closes2015Control of Major Accident Hazards (COMAH) Regulations 2015 replace COMAH 19992018Closure of Theddlethorpe gas terminal2018Domestic Gas and Electricity (Tariff Cap) Act 2018 (c. 21)

See also

Gas Act

References