Ours is a complex industry and so we use some complex terminology – and quite a few acronyms. Here are a few of the most common terms and acronyms explained:

‘ADR’ Annual Development Review
‘ALARP’ As Low As Reasonably Practicable
‘Appraisal Well’ A well drilled as part of an appraisal drilling programme which is carried out to determine the physical extent, reserves and likely production rate of a field
‘ARA’ Annual Report and Accounts
‘Barrel’ A unit of volume measurement used for petroleum and its products
‘bbl’ One barrel of oil = approximately 159 litres
‘bcf’ Billion cubic feet. 1 bcf  = 0.83 million tonnes of oil equivalent
‘bcm’ Billion cubic metres. 1 cubic metre = 35.31 cubic feet
‘BG Group’ BG Group plc and/or any of its subsidiary undertakings, joint ventures or
associated undertakings
‘Biodiversity’ The variety of organisms found within a specified geographic region
‘block’ North Sea acreage sub-division measuring approximately 10 x 20 kms, forming part of a quadrant. e.g. Block 9/13 is the 13th block in Quadrant
‘boed’ Barrels of oil equivalent per day
‘Capex’ Capital expenditure
‘Carbon dioxide equivalent’ Carbon dioxide, methane and nitrous oxide aggregated in proportion to global warming
‘CO2e’ potential – methane’s global warming potential is 21 times that of carbon dioxide and nitrous oxide’s is 310 times that of carbon dioxide
‘CCS’ Carbon capture and storage
‘Climate change’ A significant change from one climatic condition to another
‘Co-generation’ The simultaneous production of heat and power
‘Condensate’ Hydrocarbons which are in the gaseous state under reservoir conditions and which become liquid when temperature or pressure is reduced. A mixture of pentanes and higher hydrocarbons
‘CR’ Corporate Responsibility
’CSG’ Coal Seam Gas, (also called Coal Bed Methane) formed by the geological process of heating and compressing plant matter to create coal, Over millions of years, methane forms within the coal. The methane is trapped by water in the gaps and cracks between the coal molecules. These gaps are known as cleats.
‘Cubic foot’ A standard unit used to measure quantity of gas (at atmospheric pressure); 1 cubic foot = 0.0283 cubic metres
‘DFDE’ Dual-fuel diesel-electric
‘Drilling Rig’ A drilling unit that is not permanently fixed to the seabed, e.g. a drillship, a semi-submersible or a jack-up unit.
‘EIA’ Environmental Impact Assessment
‘EITI’ Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative
‘E&A’ Exploration and Appraisal
‘E&P’ Exploration and Production
‘Equity share emissions’ Emissions aggregated on an ownership basis from both operated and non-operated assets
‘EU’ European Union
‘Exploration drilling’ Drilling carried out to determine whether hydrocarbons are present in a particular area or structure
‘Exploration phase’ The phase of operations which covers the search for oil or gas by carrying out detailed geological and geophysical surveys followed up where appropriate by exploratory drilling
‘Exploration well’ well drilled in an unproven area
‘Farm In’ when a company acquires an interest in a block by taking over all or part of the financial commitment for drilling an exploration well
‘Field’ A geographical area under which an oil or gas reservoir lies
‘Flaring’ Disposing of waste gas by burning
‘Footprint’ Physical amount of land occupied by operations
‘Gas Field’ A field containing natural gas and no oil
‘Gas Chain’ Refers to the different business segments, from getting the resources out of the ground, to end use
‘GDP’ Gross Domestic Product
‘GEC’ Group Executive Committee
‘General waste’ Solid and liquid non-toxic or non-hazardous waste
‘GGCL’ Gujarat Gas Company Limited
‘Greenhouse gas’ Gas that contributes to the formation of an insulating
‘GHG’ blanket around the earth by trapping heat from infra-red radiation
‘Group’ BG Group plc and/or any of its subsidiary undertakings, joint ventures or associated undertakings
‘Group Technical Authority - GTA’ The person invested with BG Group authority, who has the responsibility and accountability to establish, approve and maintain technical requirements and processes of a specific function or discipline
 ‘HSSE’ Health, Safety, Security and Environment
‘Hydrocarbon’ A compound containing only the elements hydrogen and carbon. May exist as a solid, a liquid or a gas. The term is mainly used in a catch-all sense for oil, gas and condensate
‘IFC’ International Finance Corporation
‘IOC’ International Oil Companies
‘IPCC’ Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change
‘IPIECA’ International Petroleum Industry Environmental Conservation Association
‘ISO 14001’ International Standard for Environmental Management
‘JV’ Joint venture
‘KPO’ Karachaganak Petroleum Operating BV
‘LNG’ Liquefied Natural Gas
‘Local content’ Goods and services procured from within the host community or host nation
‘LPG’ Liquefied Petroleum Gas
‘m’ Million
‘mg/l’ Milligramper litre – measure of concentration of oil in water
‘mmboe’ Million barrels of oil equivalent
‘mmcfd’ Millions of cubic feet of gas per day
‘mtpa’ Million tonnes per annum
‘MW’ Megawatt
‘MWhrs’ Megawatt hours
‘NGO’ Non-governmental organisation
‘NGV’ Natural gas vehicles
‘OGP’ International Association of Oil and Gas Producers
‘Oil Field’ geographic area under which an oil reservoir lies
‘Oil in Place’ An estimated measure of the total amount of oil contained in a reservoir and, as such, a higher figure than the estimated recoverable reserves of oil
‘Operator’ The company that has legal authority to drill wells and undertake production of hydrocarbons are found. The Operator is often part of a consortium and acts on behalf of this consortium
‘Opex’ Operating expenditure
‘Particulate’ Very small particles, such as dust, produced by combustion engines
‘Platform’ An offshore structure that is permanently fixed to the seabed
‘Play’ a group of oil fields or prospects in the same region that are controlled by the same set of geological circumstances
‘Possible reserves’ Reserves which analysis of geological and engineering data suggests have less than 10% chance of recovery
‘Probable reserves’ Those unproven reserves which analysis of geological and engineering data suggest are more likey than not to recoverable.
‘Proved reserves’ The estimated quantities of gas and oil which geological and engineering data demonstrate with reasonable certainty, to be recoverable in future years using currently available techniques
’Recoverable reserves’ That proportion of the oil and/gas in a reservoir that can be removed using currently available techniques
‘Reservoir’ The underground formation where oil and gas has accumulated It consists of a porous rock to hold the oil or gas, and a cap rock that prevents its escape
‘Reserves replacement rate’ The total net proved reserves change over a stated period including purchases and sales (excluding production) divided by the total net production for that period
‘sfc’ Standard cubic foot. 1 cubic foot of natural gas at a standard ambient temperature and pressure
‘Shutdown’ A production hiatus during which the platform ceases to produce while essential maintenance work is undertaken
‘SP’ Social Performance
‘Stakeholder’ Anyone with an interest in, or affected by, the Group’s activities
‘t’ Tonnes (metric)
‘T&D’ Transmission and Distribution
‘tcf’ Trillion cubic feet
‘TRCF’ Total Recordable Case Frequency, expressed as incident frequency per million hours worked
‘Topsides’ The superstructure of a platform
‘UKCS’ United Kingdom Continental Shelf
‘UN’ United Nations
‘Venting’ Intentional, passive release of gas to the atmosphere
‘VPSHR’ Voluntary Principles on Security and Human Rights developed by US and UK Governments, mining and energy companies and human rights organisations
‘Well log’ record of geological formation penetrated during drilling, including technical details of the operation