LONDON, Aug 5 (Reuters) - A subsidiary of Britain's Centrica has completed a deal to buy a 45 percent stake in theDoyle gas prospect in the East Irish Sea from oil and gasexplorer Serica Energy.
As part of the agreement, Centrica's Hydrocarbon ResourcesLimited (HRL) will cover Serica's share of exploration costs ofup to 11 million pounds.
HRL has also gained a 15-percent interest and theoperatorship of an adjacent block licence, Serica Energy said ina statement.
The Doyle gas prospect is located near a number of existingCentrica gas fields, including the Rhyl field which startedproducing gas last year.
"In the event of a commercial discovery, Doyle is ideallyplaced for a fast-track development and early gas production,"said Serica Chief Executive Tony Craven Walker. (Reporting by Karolin Schaps; editing by Jason Neely)