Company behind failed Surrey oilfield project sells site at massive loss
The supreme court reversed a 2019 decision to grant planning permission for expanding operations at the Horse Hill oil site near Horley. Photograph: Carl Court/Getty ImagesView image in fullscreenThe supreme court reversed a 2019 decision to grant planning permission for expanding operations at the Horse Hill oil site near Horley. The surging valuations given to the fields was driven by industry estimates that there could be about 9.24bn barrels of oil in the tight Jurassic shale and conventional reservoir sections within the Horse Hill licences.Public records appear to show UKOG invested more than £25m into the site.
- ▪The supreme court reversed a 2019 decision to grant planning permission for expanding operations at the Horse Hill oil site near Horley.
- ▪Photograph: Carl Court/Getty ImagesView image in fullscreenThe supreme court reversed a 2019 decision to grant planning permission for expanding operations at the Horse Hill oil site near Horley.
- ▪The surging valuations given to the fields was driven by industry estimates that there could be about 9.24bn barrels of oil in the tight Jurassic shale and conventional reservoir sections within the Horse Hill licences.Public records appear
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| Original publisher | The Guardian — World |
| Canonical URL | https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2026/sep/16/company-behind-failed-surrey-oilfield-project-sells-massive-loss |
| Publication time | Wed, 16 Sep 2026 09:00:15 GMT |
| Retrieval time | 2026-09-16T09:13:41.674Z |
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The supreme court reversed a 2019 decision to grant planning permission for expanding operations at the Horse Hill oil site near Horley. Photograph: Carl Court/Getty ImagesView image in fullscreenThe supreme court reversed a 2019 decision to grant planning permission for expanding operations at the Horse Hill oil site near Horley. Photograph: Carl Court/Getty ImagesFossil fuelsCompany behind failed Surrey oilfield project sells site at massive lossNew owners apply for permission to extract oil in Horse Hill despite landmark ruling from supreme court in 2024Matthew PearceWed 16 Sep 2026 05.00 EDTLast modified on Wed 16 Sep 2026 05.01 EDTSharePrefer the Guardian on GoogleAfter years of trying to dig for oil in Surrey, the company behind the drilling project that was turned down in a…
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