Serica Gets OK from NSTA for Belinda Field

British upstream oil and gas company Serica Energy plc has received final approval from the North Sea Transition Authority (NSTA) to develop the Belinda field. 

Serica said in a news release that the proven and probable reserves in the Belinda field are estimated at about 5 million barrels of oil equivalent consisting of 80 percent oil.

After the drilling of the development well, the field will be tied back to the Triton floating production, storage, and offloading unit (FPSO), scheduled in the first half of 2025. The Belinda well is the fifth well in Serica’s Triton area drilling campaign, which started in April using the COSLInnovator drilling rig. All these wells are designed to enhance production via the Triton FPSO, according to the release. Production is scheduled to begin in the first quarter of 2026 following the tie-back work to the FPSO.

“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,” Serica Chairman and Interim CEO David Latin said. “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,” Latin added.

According to the website of Serica, the Triton Area consists of eight producing oil fields developed via common infrastructure in the UK Central North Sea, located approximately 190 kilometers east of Aberdeen. The fields that are currently producing oil and gas via the Triton FPSO are Evelyn, Bittern, Guillemot West and Guillemot Northwest, Gannet E, Clapham, Pict and Saxon. Serica is operator of the Gannet E and Evelyn fields, with Dana Petroleum Limited as pipeline operator and Petrofac Limited as the well operator. Serica also operates the Belinda field.

The Belinda field is located in Block 21/30f approximately 6 kilometers southeast of the Triton FPSO. Belinda was discovered in 1990 and appraised in 2016. Belinda is being developed as a single well tieback to the Triton FPSO, according to the Serica website.

Serica Energy was founded in 2004 and it describes itself as one of the top 10 UK producing oil and gas companies. In March 2023, Serica acquired the assets of Tailwind Energy, a combination of producing fields tied back to the Triton production hub and Ninian platform, plus some near-term development opportunities.

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