Total gets nod for North Sea Well

The Norwegian Petroleum Directorate has granted Total E&P Norge AS a drilling permit for well 34/6-3S, in the Norwegian part of the North Sea.

Well 34/6-3S will be drilled from the Leiv Eiriksson semi-submersible drilling rig, after concluding drilling of wildcat well 35/9-6 S for RWE Dea Norge AS in production licence 420.

The drilling programme for well 34/6-3 S relates to the drilling of a third well in production licence 554. Total E&P is the operator with an ownership interest of 40 per cent. The other licensees are Spike Petroleum (20 per cent), Det Norske (20 per cent) and Svenska Petroleum (20 per cent). The area in this licence consists of 156.15 square kilometres, all in block 34/6. The well will be drilled about 120 kilometres west of Florø.

Production licence 554 was awarded on 10 February 2010 (APA 2009). This is the third well drilled in the licence.

The objective of the well was primarily to delineate the oil discovery in the Cook formation, made in well 34/6-2 S. The secondary objective of the well was to explore the upside potential of the Statfjord formation. A sidetrack is also planned in order to prove potential hydrocarbons in the Statfjord and Cook formations.

The permit is contingent upon the operator having secured all other permits and consents required by other authorities before the drilling starts.