The Petroleum Safety Authority Norway has granted GDF SUEZ E&P Norge AS (GdF) consent for drilling and completion of wells on the Gjøa field with the mobile drilling facility Transocean Searcher.
The consent encompasses drilling and completion of a total of 11 wells, of which five are scheduled for completion before start of production. The plan is to complete the remaining six wells by July 2012.
Statoil has had the operator responsibility for this production licence in the development phase, and received consent in December 2008 for the use of Transocean Searcher for drilling and completion of production wells until the operatorship is transferred to GdF, which will be the operator during the operations phase. The consent which has now been granted to GdF encompasses drilling and completion of the remaining wells. The consent is tied to the operator’s management system, which means that a transfer of operatorship involves applying for a new consent for the ongoing activities.
Transocean Searcher is operated by Transocean Offshore North Sea Ltd NUF and is a type Bingo 3000 semi-submersible drilling facility, built in 1983 at Kaldnes Mek. Verksted in Tønsberg.
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Source: Ptil, November 12, 2010;