The Norwegian Petroleum Directorate (NPD) has granted Eni Norge a drilling permit for an exploration well in the Barents Sea.
The well 7318/12-1 will be drilled in a prospect named Boné-Bigorna from the Saipem-owned drilling rig Scarabeo 8.
The company recently got a consent from the Petroleum Safety Authority (PSA) to use the semi-sub rig to drill the Barents Sea well. According to the safety authority, the drilling work is scheduled to take 55 days.
The drilling program for wellbore 7318/12-1 concerns the drilling of a wildcat well in production licence 716. The well will be drilled about 80 kilometers northwest of Johan Castberg and 320 kilometers from the mainland.
In preparation for drilling operations in the Barents Sea, Eni recently hired Simon Møkster Shipping’s newest vessel, Stril Mar , to assist the Scarabeo 8 during exploration and production drilling.
Production license 716 was awarded on June 21, 2013 in the 22nd licensing round on the Norwegian shelf. This is the first well to be drilled in the license.
Eni Norge is the operator with an ownership interest of 30 per cent. The other licensees are Bayerngas Norge (20 per cent), Faroe Petroleum Norge (20 per cent), Petoro (20 per cent), and Point Resources (10 per cent). The area in this license consists of blocks 7318/11 and 7318/12.