This document is intended to provide an introduction for non-specialists to the key activities and potential sources of environmental effects associated with oil and gas exploration and production. It forms part of the information base for the Department of Trade and Industry's (now Department of Energy and Climate Change) Strategic Environmental Assessment (SEA2) process in the North Sea.

This report is a contribution to the Strategic Environmental Assessment (SEA3) conducted by the Department of Trade and Industry (now Department of Energy and Climate Change). This study provides forecast information on probable activity levels, capital expenditure, tax revenues and employment resulting from exploration and production in the SEA3 area. The SEA3 area comprises 330 blocks or part blocks in the Central and Southern North Sea. Estimates were made of the reserves which might be discovered or developed. A cautious view was taken of the number of new developments which might emanate from licensing the area. The related exploration, appraisal, development and decommissioning costs were then estimated. Economic modelling was undertaken for different oil and gas prices to calculate for each development gross revenues, development costs, operating costs, and decommissioning costs. The taxation implications were also calculated. The impact of licensing the SEA3 area on the level of employment in the UK has been calculated. The proposed licensing would make a modest but worthwhile contribution towards moderating the downward trend of employment in the North Sea industry.

This report is a contribution to the Strategic Environmental Assessment (SEA4) conducted by the Department of Trade and Industry (now Department of Energy and Climate Change). This report is a synthesis of information on human activities which might have an impact on, or themselves be affected by, further oil and gas developments in the SEA4 area. The activities include fishing, mariculture, shipping, energy (both existing oil and gas developments and renewable energy), telecommunications, military activities, waste disposal, dredging and aggregate extraction, tourism, coastal and marine archaeological sites. The SEA4 area hosts a wide variety of different users. Some have been there for centuries, others are more recent arrivals. Among the older industries and activities are fisheries, ports and shipping and military activities; the oil and gas industry and mariculture are newer arrivals. Orkney and Shetland have provided major infrastructure for the North Sea oil and gas industry since the 1970s, and there have been producing oil fields to the west of Shetland since 1997. Finfish and shellfish farming are important industries in the coastal regions of the SEA4 area.

This report is a contribution to the Department of Trade and Industry's (now Department of Energy and Climate Change) Strategic Environmental Assessment SEA2, which covers the mature oil and gas fields of the Southern, Central and Northern North Sea. The report reviews the impact of human activity on fish and fisheries in the North Sea and is relevant to both SEA 2 and SEA 3 areas. The North Sea is one of the world's most important fishing grounds. In the central and northern parts there is a mixed demersal fishery that targets cod, haddock and whiting; plaice and sole are trawled in the southern and southeastern North Sea; there are extensive pelagic fisheries for herring and mackerel; crustaceans fisheries for Norway lobster, crab and scallop; and industrial fisheries for sandeel and Norway pout. Commercial fishing itself has the highest impact on fish populations. The various impacts of the offshore oil and gas industry (e.g. seismic surveys, drilling discharges, produced water discharges) are classified as intermediate in scale. The biology of the commercially important fish and shellfish that occur in the offshore waters of the North Sea is discussed. Numerous maps, showing the location of spawning activity and the location of fishing effort, are included.

This report is a contribution to the Strategic Environmental Assessment (SEA6) conducted by the Department of Trade and Industry (now Department of Energy and Climate Change). The SEA 6 area supports different users and activities, many of which are focussed in particular coastal and marine areas. It is a mixture of sparsely populated rural areas and highly developed centres of population. The primary contributors to the national and regional economies are tourism and leisure, oil and gas, ports and shipping and locally naval defence. The renewable energy sector is growing and may provide significant local opportunities for the port and local construction industries in the future. The report presents an overview of the coastal population of the SEA 6 area and the industries and activities using the SEA 6 area including: Oil and gas activity; Ports and shipping; Mariculture; Military activity; Telecommunication cables; Renewable energy; Aggregate extraction; Marine disposal; Tourism and leisure; Locally important activities; Coastal and marine archaeology; Coastal and marine management initiatives

This report is a contribution to the Strategic Environmental Assessment (SEA7) conducted by the Department of Trade and Industry (now Department of Energy and Climate Change). This report assesses the socio-economic implications of further oil and gas licensing the SEA7 area. The Department of Trade and Industry provided scenarios of possible exploration and development activity in the area and these scenarios were converted into optimistic and pessimistic scenarios. They were then used to produce forecasts of: oil and gas production; oil and gas reserves; expenditure; employment; and tax revenues. The implications for existing facilities in the area are discussed and the potential social impacts. An underpinning report, Economic and Social Baseline Study, is also available.

This report is a contribution to the Strategic Environmental Assessment (SEA5) conducted by the Department of Trade and Industry (now Department of Energy and Climate Change). This report assesses the socio-economic implications of licensing the SEA 5 area and sets out the results in relation to: oil and gas production, and reserves; capital, operating and decommissioning expenditure; employment; tax revenue; social impacts. The Department of Trade and Industry provided scenarios of possible exploration and development activity in the area and these scenarios were converted into optimistic and pessimistic scenarios. They were then used to produce forecasts of: oil and gas production; oil and gas reserves; expenditure; employment; and tax revenues. The implications for existing facilities in the area are discussed and the potential social impacts.

This report is a contribution to the Strategic Environmental Assessment (SEA7) conducted by the Department of Trade and Industry (now Department of Energy and Climate Change). This "Economic and Social Baseline Study" provides baseline information on the key economic activities in the SEA7 area, namely: offshore oil and gas; ports, ferries and shipping services; fishing; aquaculture tourism; other marine-related activities. A separate report (SEA7 Socio-economics) by the same authors assesses the socio-economic implications of further oil and gas licensing in the SEA7 area.

This report is a contribution to Strategic Environmental Assessment SEA2 conducted by the Department of Trade and Industry (now Department of Energy and Climate Change) and it considers human activities in the North Sea which might have an impact on, or themselves be affected by, further oil and gas developments in the SEA2 areas. The SEA2 areas cover the Northern North Sea (NNS), the Central North Sea (CNS) and the Southern North Sea (SNS). The activities include shipping, energy (both existing oil and gas developments and renewable energy), telecommunications, military activities, waste disposal, dredging and aggregate extraction, marine archaeological sites and wrecks. Commercial fishing is the subject of a separate report.

This report is a contribution to the Strategic Environmental Assessment (SEA7) conducted by the Department of Trade and Industry (now Department of Energy and Climate Change).The purpose of this report is to provide an initial assessment of what is termed the Other Users of the SEA 7 area. These other users include those significant human activities and infrastructure occurring in the marine and coastal zone, and not addressed by other SEA 7 data reports. Fisheries and maritime archaeology (wrecks) are therefore excluded. The report summarises current activity in the area, and where possible discusses likely future trends. It also summarises the relevance of each activity to any future proposed oil and gas activity. Where appropriate, comment is made about the potential sensitivity of an Other User to oil and gas development, or the potential restrictions to oil and gas development presented by existing users.