The UK Oil & Gas Authority has approved the development plan for the Culzean Field, located in the North Sea, operator Maersk Oil said in a news release.

The HP/HT development is expected to produce enough gas to meet 5% of total U.K. demand at peak production in 2020-2021. Culzean is also the largest gas field sanctioned since East Brae in 1990, Maersk Oil said citing WoodMac research.

Discovered in 2008 by Maersk Oil and its co-venturers, JX Nippon and BP (Britoil), the gas condensate field has resources estimated at 250-300 million barrels of oil equivalent. Production is expected to start in 2019 and continue for at least 13 years, with plateau production of 60,000-90,000 barrels of oil equivalent per day, according to the release.

The companies are investing around $4.5 billion in the development, with more than 50% committed to investments in the U.K. Over the projected life of the field, it’s anticipated that $3.3 billion in operating expenditure will be spent in the U.K. domestic market, according to the release. The Culzean field aligns with the UK’s commitment to increased gas-fired electricity generation and is expected to support an estimated 6,000 U.K. jobs and create more than 400 direct jobs.

Offshore