Norwegian state-owned energy giant Equinor has received the all-clear from the country’s authorities to use one of Transocean’s semi-submersible rigs for drilling operations at a field off the coast of Norway.
Weeks after the Norwegian Offshore Directorate (NOD) gave Equinor a drilling permit for the wellbore 6407/1-B-2 H, known as the Tyrihans East prospect, in production license 1121 , which was awarded on April 23, 1982, and is valid until December 31, 2029, the Norwegian Ocean Industry Authority (Havtil) followed suit with a consent for exploration drilling in block 6407/1 in the Norwegian Sea.
Equinor is the operator of the production license in which it holds a 36.247% stake, while the remaining interests are in the hands of its partners, TotalEnergies EP Norge (29.143%), Petoro (22.52%), and Vår Energi (12.09%). The water depth at the drilling site is 275 meters.
The wildcat well will be spud in October 2025 with the Transocean Encourage semi-submersible rig, which was hired on a nine-well contract , with six more optional wells, in 2023 for work on the Norwegian Continental Shelf (NCS).
The 2016-built Transocean Encourage rig, which can accommodate up to 130 people, is a sixth-generation fully winterized, harsh environment semi-submersible rig with automated drilling control specially designed for operations on the NCS.
Equinor has been a busy bee off the coast of Norway, as illustrated by its recent hydrocarbon exploration activities, including the drilling of a dry well in the North Sea .