Though the industry is in a downturn, the Scottish government said Thursday it expected production from the North Sea to increase by more than 10 percent. Data published by the Scottish government said the North Sea remains the largest oil producer and second largest natural gas producer in Europe. Scottish Deputy First Minister John Swinney said there’s “no disputing” the industry is depressed, but production is expected to increase by as much as 17 percent by 2019. “These figures show that considerable opportunities to extend production remain in the UKCS and that, properly supported, the industry can boost production over the next five years,” Swinney said. A January report from analysis firm Wood Mackenzie said exploration activity in 2014 was off 18 percent from […]