Jun. 19--Hopes are rising for a major North Sea gas find by Shell -- the biggest ever in the Norwegian sector of the depleting oil & gas-rich region.

Such a find could be crucial to the UK which is becoming increasingly reliant on overseas imports especially through the Langeled pipeline from Norway which taps into the giant Ormen Lange field.

Ormen Lange with its 397 billion cubic metres of gas reserves could provide 20 percent of the UK's energy needs for the next 40 years.

Shell said today with just one well drilled in its Gro prospect in the Norwegian Sea, initial estimates are talking of reserves in the field of up to 100 billion cubic metres of gas.

Further drilling, it is hoped, will confirm preliminary estimates that Gro will at least match in size the find 12 years ago at Ormen Lange.

Shell has 50 percent of the Gro field alongside StatoilHydro of Norway and GDF Suez of France.

A Shell spokesman said: "We need to gather a lot more data in order to be more certaibn about the find.

"We plan to proceed as quickly as possible to develop this."

The find is also crucial to Shell as it is struggling to replace its own upstream reserves.

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