Oil field · UK
Forties
Forties is an oil field in the central North Sea, operated by Apache Corporation. It was discovered in 1970 and has produced since 1975. In July 2026 it produced about 12,000 barrels of oil and condensate a day.
Production
Forties has produced about 2.83 billion barrels of oil and condensate and 24.1 billion cubic metres of gas since September 1975.
Latest: 12,000 barrels a day in July 2026. Highest year: 1980, averaging 503,000 barrels a day. Highest month: December 1978.
Latest: 0.03 million cubic metres a day in July 2026. Highest year: 1980, averaging 4.5 million cubic metres a day. Highest month: December 1978.
Average production by year
| Year | Oil and condensate, barrels a day | Gas, million m³ a day |
|---|---|---|
| 2026 (Jan–Jul) | 11,000 | 0.022 |
| 2025 | 13,000 | 0.041 |
| 2024 | 13,000 | 0.044 |
| 2023 | 16,000 | 0.068 |
| 2022 | 16,000 | 0.071 |
| 2021 | 18,000 | 0.073 |
| 2020 | 24,000 | 0.12 |
| 2019 | 28,000 | 0.097 |
| 2018 | 32,000 | 0.16 |
| 2017 | 33,000 | 0.17 |
| 2016 | 39,000 | 0.23 |
| 2015 | 43,000 | 0.32 |
| 2014 | 40,000 | 0.33 |
| 2013 | 41,000 | 0.28 |
| 2012 | 46,000 | 0.31 |
| 2011 | 55,000 | 0.32 |
| 2010 | 57,000 | 0.3 |
| 2009 | 63,000 | 0.33 |
| 2008 | 62,000 | 0.34 |
| 2007 | 55,000 | 0.28 |
| 2006 | 61,000 | 0.37 |
| 2005 | 68,000 | 0.45 |
| 2004 | 55,000 | 0.36 |
| 2003 | 42,000 | 0.27 |
| 2002 | 54,000 | 0.35 |
| 2001 | 59,000 | 0.37 |
| 2000 | 56,000 | 0.44 |
| 1999 | 67,000 | 0.64 |
| 1998 | 83,000 | 0.9 |
| 1997 | 86,000 | 0.97 |
| 1996 | 107,000 | 1.3 |
| 1995 | 109,000 | 1.1 |
| 1994 | 125,000 | 1.1 |
| 1993 | 120,000 | 1.1 |
| 1992 | 154,000 | 1.4 |
| 1991 | 168,000 | 1.5 |
| 1990 | 192,000 | 1.7 |
| 1989 | 210,000 | 1.9 |
| 1988 | 290,000 | 2.5 |
| 1987 | 326,000 | 2.8 |
| 1986 | 338,000 | 2.9 |
| 1985 | 378,000 | 3.2 |
| 1984 | 414,000 | 3.7 |
| 1983 | 446,000 | 4 |
| 1982 | 455,000 | 4 |
| 1981 | 468,000 | 4.1 |
| 1980 | 503,000 | 4.5 |
| 1979 | 503,000 | 4.5 |
| 1978 | 502,000 | 4.5 |
| 1977 | 413,000 | 3.7 |
| 1976 | 175,000 | 1.6 |
| 1975 (Sep–Dec) | 39,000 | 0.37 |
Field details
| Status | Producing |
|---|---|
| Type | Oil field |
| Operator | Apache Corporation |
| Partners |
|
| Original operator | BP |
| Discovered | November 1970 (well 21/10-1) |
| First production | September 1975 |
| Water depth | 106 m |
| Region | Central North Sea |
| Wells inside the outline | 564 |
Platforms and installations
Licences
The field lies in these 2 current licences:
Nearby
Sources
Production: NSTA, UKCS field production reports (PPRS), monthly to July 2026. Field details, platforms, licences and wells: NSTA open data, as on the atlas map. Contains information provided by the North Sea Transition Authority and/or other third parties. Used under the NSTA Open User Licence.
Offshore Data Atlas converts the reported volumes to barrels and cubic metres a day (one cubic metre is 6.29 barrels). UK gas figures are all the gas produced, including gas used offshore as fuel, flared or put back into the reservoir.