bp has announced the start of production at the Seagull oil and gas field in the UK North Sea, boosting energy supplies along with supporting the supply chain and jobs in the region.

The Seagull field is a subsea tieback to the bp-operated central processing facility (CPF) of the Eastern Trough Area Project (ETAP) in the central North Sea, located approximately 140 miles east of Aberdeen.

The Seagull field has been developed by Neptune Energy and is the first tieback to the ETAP hub in 20 years. It is located 10 miles south of the ETAP CPF and consists of four wells.

At peak production, the Seagull field is expected to produce around 50,000 barrels of oil equivalent gross per day. The oil produced from the Seagull field is exported through the Forties Pipeline System to Grangemouth in central Scotland, while the gas is transported to Teesside via the Central Area Transmission System.

Doris Reiter, Senior Vice President of bp North Sea, expressed her excitement about the start of production from the Seagull field stating that: “bp has been safely operating in the North Sea for nearly 60 years, delivering a reliable flow of energy, supporting thousands of jobs and a world-class supply chain. We plan to keep doing this by investing in our existing oil and gas infrastructure, like at ETAP, which has been a cornerstone of our North Sea portfolio for a quarter of a century. The start-up of Seagull is a fantastic milestone that demonstrates how BP is investing in today’s energy system and, at the same time, investing in the energy transition.”

The Seagull field development has supported 800 jobs during the development phase. It also sustains continued production through the ETAP CPF, which supports 350 full-time jobs, with 270 offshore and 80 onshore positions.

“As the operator of the project, Seagull is an excellent example of what can be achieved through close collaboration. From the beginning, the partners have taken an innovative approach to ensure we can collectively maximize the recovery of domestic energy resources while extending the life of existing subsea infrastructure to reduce development costs,” said Alan Muirhead, UK Country Director, Neptune Energy.

Neptune Energy holds a 35% stake in Seagull and operated the field through the development phase, drilling wells and installing subsea equipment. BP, meanwhile, holds a 50% stake in Seagull’s operation through the production phase of the development and JAPEX holds the remaining 15% interest in the field.

“JAPEX is truly delighted with the safe and successful start-up of the Seagull field. We believe this commencement in production will benefit our business expansion strategy in the North Sea and realize the significant potential of the UK Continental Shelf. It is our pleasure to strengthen our partnership with BP and Neptune through the project,” said Tomomi Yamada, Managing Executive Officer, JAPEX.