Feb 4 (Reuters) - Shell said on Tuesday it has

restarted production at the Penguins oil field in the UK North

Sea, with a new floating, production, storage and offloading

(FPSO) facility.

The field's export route, which previously went through the

Brent Charlie platform that ceased production in 2021 and is

being decommissioned, will shift to the new FPSO that reduces

operational emissions by 30% and extends the field's life by up

to 20 years, Shell said in a statement.

"Today, the UK relies on imports to meet much of its demand

for oil and gas," said Zoe Yujnovich, Shell's integrated gas and

upstream director.

"The Penguins field is a source of the secure domestic

energy production people need today, and the FPSO is a

demonstration of our investment in competitive projects that

create more value with less emissions."

The oil major added that peak production from Penguins is

estimated at around 45,000 barrels of oil equivalent per day

(boepd) and currently has an estimated discovered recoverable

resource volume of about 100 million boe.

Penguins will also produce enough gas to heat around 700,000

UK homes per year, Shell said.