Equinor gets permit for fresh North Sea wildcat

The Norwegian Petroleum Directorate (NPD) has granted Equinor a drilling permit for a wildcat well located in the North Sea offshore Norway.

The well 31/11-1 S will be drilled from the Deepsea Atlantic drilling rig after a stay at the shipyard, the Norwegian regulator said on Friday.

The drilling programme for well 31/11-1 S relates to the drilling of a wildcat well in production licence 785 S.

Equinor is the operator of the licence with an ownership interest of 50 per cent and its partner is Total E&P Norge with the other 50 per cent interest.

The area in this licence consists of parts of blocks 26/2 and 31/11. The well will be drilled 62 kilometres south of the Troll field.

Production licence 785 S was awarded on 6 February 2015 (APA 2014) and this is the first exploration well to be drilled in the licence.

Back in December 2020, Equinor exercised two new wells for the Deepsea Atlantic rig.

The work under this extension will start after the completion of the current scope estimated to be in 1Q 2021.

The wells have been exercised under the continued optionality mechanism in the contract entered into between the parties in May 2018, as part of the overall Master Frame Agreement.

Later, in January 2021, Equinor exercised one additional well for the Deepsea Atlantic rig. The work will start in the second quarter of 2021.

Deepsea Atlantic is a sixth generation deepwater and harsh environment semi-submersible capable of operating at water depths of up to 3,000 meters.