Equinor picks up drilling permit for Ragnfrid Nord prospect

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

NPD said on Friday that the drilling program was for a wildcat well, designated 6406/2-9 S, located in production license 199.

Equinor is the operator of production license 199 with an ownership interest of 52 percent. The other licensees are Petoro (27 percent), ExxonMobil (15 percent) and Total (six percent).

The area in this license consists of part of block 6406/2. The well will be drilled about seven kilometers south of the Kristin field.

Production license 199 was awarded on September 10, 1993, in the 14th licensing round on the Norwegian Shelf. This is the 15th exploration well to be drilled in the license.

The NPD added that the well would be drilled from the West Phoenix drilling rig which will investigate a prospect named Ragnfrid Nord. The rig is of a Moss Maritim CS50 design and was built at the Samsung yard in South Korea. West Phoenix received an acknowledgment of compliance from the PSA in 2008.

To remind, the Petroleum Safety Authority (PSA) gave Equinor consent to use the West Phoenix rig on the 6406/2-9 S well in early June. According to the PSA, the drilling is estimated to last for 81 days, depending on whether a discovery is made.