Serica Energy has been given the green light to develop a new field in the North Sea.
The North Sea Transition Authority (NSTA) has granted final approval for the Belinda field, which is wholly-owned by Serica.
The field will be tied back to the Triton FPSO following the drilling of the development well which is scheduled to take place in the first half of 2025.
The Belinda well is the fifth well in Serica's Triton area drilling campaign, which commenced in April this year.
Proven and probable reserves in the Belinda field are estimated at about five million barrels of oil equivalent (80% oil). Production is scheduled to commence in 1Q 2026 following the tie-back work to the Triton FPSO.
David Latin, Chairman and Interim CEO of Serica commented: "We are delighted to have received approval to develop Belinda. This will build on our strong track record of delivering growth and adding value through investment in our assets.
"We have further potential projects in our portfolio which we continue to assess, including the possible re-development of the Kyle field, which could, like Belinda, be another low emissions tie-back candidate to the Triton FPSO.
"We look to the UK government to implement tax and licensing arrangements that support investments like Belinda, thereby creating UK jobs, earnings and tax receipts instead of increasing reliance on energy imports."