After just nine field developments were brought forward for approval by UK operators in 2009, the UK's Department of Energy and Climate Change is already sitting on another eight developments which have been submitted since last August.

As recently as December Apache North Sea submitted a new environmental impact statement for its forthcoming Bacchus development in UK block 21/10. Another EIS has been submitted by Apache in relation to its planned development of the Maule discovery, also in block 21/10.

During December last year BG submitted an EIS for its planned development of the Pi field discovery in block 22/5.

Centrica has two schemes under consideration, firstly conversion of the Bains gas field into an offshore gas storage site, in the Eastern Irish Sea in block 110/3c, and it is also planning to tap the York gas field in a new Southern North Sea development in block 47/3.

Total is already well underway with its West of Shetland Laggan and Tormore subsea and pipeline-based gas field development, centred on block 206/5B and the operator has also lodged another EIS for a second project for block 206/1A, simply dubbed A.

Meanwhile ExxonMobil subsidiary Mobil North Sea has lodged a further EIS for its Tay Cormorant area development, in UK block 9/13a, which went in to the government for approval last September.

Those eight EIS submissions already suggest a higher level of field approvals for this year and beyond, while further recent discoveries are likely to add to the tally.

Nexen has yet to submit an Environmental Impact Statement for its widely publicised Golden Eagle development north of Buzzard, which will tap three earlier discoveries in a new platform-based project.

And the list of potential developments has been boosted following a spate of successful exploration wells drilled in the West of Shetlands region last year, on Glenlivet with the 214/30a-2 well operated by Dong Energy; on Tornado with the 204/13-1 well and operated by Austria's OMV, and on Amos, with the 204/25a-8 well operated by Hess which was drilled last February. Also Lancaster was discovered by Hurricane Hydrocarbons in block 205/21a towards the end of last year, and on which the Bredford Dolphin rig has been contracted to drill two further wells starting in May.

Still in the West of Shetlands, BP signalled towards the end of last year that it was looking to replace its ageing Schiehallion FPSO with a new floating production unit, where field production has been shut in since last October due to damage to offloading hose on the FPSO after it was struck by a shuttle tanker.

Work is underway also by BP for development of the Clair Ridge area of the producing Clair field.

Jasmine, Rochelle and Huntington, are just three of the other UK development projects due to receive more attention this year, and ATP is already progressing its UK Cheviot heavy oil development - scheduled for first oil in 2012 - with an Octabuoy hull under construction in China.