Shell UK has started production at the Victory gas field, located around 47km north‑west of the Shetland Islands in the UK North Sea. The field, owned and operated by Shell, will ensure domestically produced gas remains available for homes in the United Kingdom, businesses and electricity generation.
Gas will be extracted through one subsea well and routed via an existing pipeline to the Shetland Gas Plant, then piped to the Scottish mainland at St Fergus, close to Peterhead for entry into the national network.
According to the company, the usage of existing facilities will help to reduce operational emissions.
Victory gas fields’ peak production is projected at about 150 million standard cubic feet per day (mscf/d), which equates to roughly 25,000 barrels of oil equivalent per day at full capacity.
Shell insists that 25,000 barrels of oil will be enough to heat around 900,000 homes for a year.
UK regulator, The North Sea Transition Authority, recently reported a 10% reduction in gas production in 2024, stressing that 61% of the gas supply in the UK was imported last year.
Victory will most likely help to reduce reliance on overseas imports as older fields decline.
“Gas fields like Victory play a crucial role in the UK’s energy security, and the country will rely on them for decades to come. They provide an essential fuel we need now, and act as a partner to intermittent renewables as we move through the energy transition.
By developing fields like Victory next to existing infrastructure, we are making sure our production in the UK North Sea remains cost competitive and reduces operational emissions,” Shell UK Upstream senior vice-president Simon Roddy said.
