Equinor gets go-ahead for drilling ops with COSL rig

Norway’s state-owned energy giant Equinor has secured a drilling permit for an exploration well in the Norwegian sector of the North Sea, which will be drilled with a semi-submersible rig owned by COSL Drilling Europe, an offshore drilling player.

The Norwegian Offshore Directorate has granted Equinor a drilling permit for the wellbore 35/11-31 S in production license 090, which was awarded on March 9, 1984, and is valid until December 31, 2040.

Equinor is the operator of the license with a 45% stake, while its partners, Vår Energi and Inpex Idemitsu Norge, hold the remaining 40% and 15% interests, respectively. The drilling of the well 35/11-31 S, which is slated to begin in June 2025, will be undertaken with the COSL Innovator drilling rig.

The Norwegian state-owned oil and gas player hired the rig in August 2023 on a two-year assignment, starting in the second quarter of 2025. The contract comes with options for three more years. The 2012-built COSL Innovator semi-submersible rig is designed to operate in water depths up to 750 meters.

This permit follows closely behind the one Equinor recently got for the wellbore 7220/5-4, which will be drilled next month with the COSL Prospector semi-submersible rig.

Norway is set on seeing more oil and gas exploration activity, as illustrated by the addition of new blocks in the award in pre-defined areas 2025 (APA 2025) round for oil and gas exploration compared to APA 2024.