Equinor’s North Sea P&A ops with COSL’s 2012-built rig cleared for action

June 12, 2026, by Melisa Cavcic

Norway’s state-owned energy giant Equinor has received the Norwegian authorities’ blessing for plugging and abandonment (P&A) activities in the North Sea, which will be undertaken with a semi-submersible rig owned by COSL Drilling Europe, an offshore drilling player.

COSL Promoter; Source: COSL Drilling Europe

The Norwegian Ocean Industry Authority (Havtil) has granted Equinor consent to use the 2012-built COSL Promoter semi-submersible rig for permanent plugging and abandonment on the Tordis field.

The consent covers plugging and abandonment of 34/7-K-4 HT2, and the goal of the activity is to permanently plug the reservoir and Lista formation to improve the barrier status of the well.

Located in the Tampen area in the northern part of the North Sea, between the Statfjord and Gullfaks fields, where the water depth is 150-220 meters, Tordis was discovered in 1987, and the plan for development and operation (PDO) was approved in 1991.

The field has been developed with a central subsea manifold tied-back to Gullfaks C, which also supplies water for injection. There are seven single-well satellites and two subsea templates tied back to the manifold. Tordis’ production started in 1994.