KUALA LUMPUR: Hibiscus Petroleum Bhd has commenced drilling at its Teal West field in the UK North Sea, marking one of only three development wells across the UK Continental Shelf this year.
The shelf drilling fortress jack-up rig, deployed from Invergordon, Scotland earlier this month, commenced drilling operations on Sept 14.
Once completed, the well will be tied back to the Anasuria floating production, storage and offloading (FPSO) facility, with subsea installation works planned for early second quarter (Q2) 2026, with first oil expected by mid-2026.
Anasuria Hibiscus UK Ltd (AHUK), Hibiscus Petroleum’s subsidiary, operates the FPSO via a joint venture with Ping Petroleum UK, a unit of Dagang NeXchange Bhd.
AHUK general manager Tom Reeve said the company remains committed to investing in the UK North Sea despite industry-wide challenges, citing long-term prospects in energy security, reduced reliance on LNG imports and job preservation.
“We are continuing to invest in the UK North Sea, as we believe that at some point, factors such as energy security, the environmental cost of importing LNG and the preservation of local jobs will encourage the UK government to proactively and positively revise the current fiscal regime.
“In the meantime, we are focused on delivering a safe and top quartile performance for the drilling operation currently being undertaken,” he said in a statement.
© New Straits Times Press (M) Bhd
