North Sea drilling ops with COSL rig on Vår Energi’s agenda for August

July 14, 2026, by Melisa Cavcic

Norway’s oil and gas player Vår Energi has obtained a drilling permit for operations in the Norwegian sector of the North Sea, which will be undertaken with a semi-submersible rig owned by COSL Drilling Europe, an offshore drilling contractor.

COSL Pioneer rig; Source: COSL Drilling Europe

The Norwegian Offshore Directorate has granted Vår Energi a drilling permit for the wellbore 25/8-24 S in production licence 1203, which is valid from March 15, 2024, until the same date in 2030.

Vår Energi is the operator of the licence with a 30% interest, with its partners, Equinor, DNO Norge, and Petoro, holding the remaining 30%, 20%, and 20% stakes, respectively.

These drilling activities will be carried out with COSL Drilling Europe’s COSL Pioneer rig. The drill bit at the 25/8-24 S well in the North Sea is expected to spin in August 2026.

Vår Energi recently exercised its third option for the rig, extending the semi-submersible’s contract well into 2028. The 2010-built rig is designed to operate in water depths up to 750 meters.

This drilling permit is not the only one Vår Energi recently secured, as the firm also got a drilling permit for the wellbore 35/6-7 S in production licence 929.