ABU DHABI, July 8 (Xinhua) -- The Abu Dhabi National Energy Company (Taqa) of the United Arab Emirates (UAE) has acquired production assets of Shell and Esso in the North Sea through one of its wholly-owned subsidiary, local newspaper Gulf News reported on Tuesday.

    Taqa Bratani Limited, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Taqa, signed an agreement with Shell UK and Esso Exploration and Production Limited "to purchase the equity pertaining to operating licenses for six offshore fields and two non-operated subsea tie-backs situated in the Northern North Sea," the company said in a statement.

    "The sale includes all equity, associated infrastructure and production licenses relating to the vendor's interests in Tern, Eider, Cormorant North, South Cormorant, Kestrel and Pelican fields and related sub-sea satellite fields," Taqa said.

    But the company did not reveal the size of the transaction.

    The three-year-old Taqa made several strategic acquisitions in 2007, including BP Netherlands' gas exploration and production assets, the upstream petroleum exploration company Pioneer Canada and the Canada-based oil and natural gas producer Prime West.

    The company plans to invest five billion to ten billion dollars per year in assets across the worldwide oil and gas industry production chain as part of a five-year growth strategy.

    Established in 2005, the Taqa is an energy investment company, 51 percent of which is owned by Abu Dhabi government, 24.1 percent by the Farm Owners' Fund of Abu Dhabi, and the rest 24.9 percent by shareholders.

    The company, which currently has investments, assets and operations in nine countries, owns assets spanning the energy value chain, including oil and gas exploration and production, pipeline, storage and liquid natural gas regasification and power plants.