The Petroleum Safety Authority Norway has granted consent to Det norske Oljeselskap ASA (Det norske) for exploration drilling of well 7/11-13 with the Mærsk Guardian jack-up rig.
The well is located in the southern part of the Norwegian sector of the North Sea and is part of production licence PL 497 (Geite), where Det norske is the operator.
The well is a wildcat well and, if a discovery is made, it may be relevant to drill a sidetrack well. The PL 497 was awarded in APA 2009.
Drilling is estimated to last 80 days, and up to 135 days if a sidetrack well is drilled. The earliest start-up is the beginning of September.
[mappress] Offshore Energy Today Staff, August 30, 2012