UK's Serica Energy lowers annual production forecast on Triton delays

Oct 19 (Reuters) - Britain's Serica Energy flagged a further delay to the restart of its Triton production vessel on Monday, prompting the oil and gas firm to lower its annual production forecast.

Here are details from the company:

• Triton production is expected to resume around the end of November. The planned maintenance began at the end of July and was set to end in about two months

• Serica expects 2026 production to average just below 40,000 barrels of oil equivalent per day (boepd), compared with its previous forecast of above that level

• The company expects production rates of around 65,000 boepd by the end of the year once production resumes at Triton

• It reaffirmed its annual post-tax cash flow from operations and capital expenditure guidance, strengthened by current gas prices and expansion in the North Sea

• The company, which recently walked away from an offer for rival Pharos Energy, continues to look for merger and acquisition opportunities in the UK North Sea and overseas

• Third-quarter production was 22,100 boepd, down around 56% from the previous quarter due to maintenance at its Bruce and Triton hubs

(Reporting by Simone Lobo in Bengaluru; Editing by Subhranshu Sahu)