The Oil and Gas Authority (OGA) has highlighted the potential of tapping smaller reserves of oil in UK waters, calling them a "very significant opportunity".

About three billion barrels of oil are believed to be left under the UK Continental Shelf (UKCS), with the majority in "small pools" of less than 50m barrels.

The Aberdeen-based OGA said it is "committed" to exploiting these smaller reserves using new technologies.

Head of technology Carlo Procaccini said: "We recognise the challenges operators are facing to develop these marginal oil and gas accumulations.

"Small pools represent a very significant opportunity to maximise economic recovery from the UKCS.

"Technology has an important role to play to reduce the cost of development wells, design optimised subsea infrastructure to existing host facilities and develop efficient standalone concepts.

"We are committed to working together with the industry, the Technology Leadership Board and the new Oil and Gas Technology Centre, which has dedicated one of their solution centres to unlock the small pools potential."

The OGA has mooted a number of potential solutions to the problem of tapping smaller reserves, including using unmanned production buoys and small, floating facilities.

Dr Gordon Drummond, of the National Subsea Research Initiative,said: "Small pools have a national importance in terms of achieving maximum economic recovery and they must be considered as an industry asset if they are to be capitalised upon."