ENI, RWE Dea gain nod for Norway wells

Sept. 22, 2010
Petroleum Safety Authority Norway has cleared the Transocean semisubmersible Polar Pioneer to drill an exploratory well in the Barents Sea for Eni Norge.

Offshore staff

OSLO, Norway -- Petroleum Safety Authority Norway has cleared the Transocean semisubmersible PolarPioneer to drill an exploratory well in the Barents Sea for Eni Norge.

Well 7120/12-5, in license PL 489, will be drilled around 80 km (49.7 mi) northwest of Hammerfest, in a water depth of 187 m (613 ft). Drilling should take 57 days to complete in the event of a dry hole, and around 73 days if extended by a geological sidetrack. The well should spud later this month or during October.

Polar Pioneer has drilled production wells in the Barents Sea for Statoil on the Snøhvit field and various exploration wells in the region for Statoil, Hydro, and Eni.

In the North Sea, the Norwegian Petroleum Directorate has issued a permit to RWE Dea Norge to drill the wildcat 35/9-6 S in PL 420, 15 km (9.3 mi) west of the Gjøa field.

The semisub Bredford Dolphin will drill the well after completing another wildcat, 6507/7-14 S, for RWE in PL 435. PL 420 was awarded under Norway’s APA 2006 licensing round. This will be the first well drilled on the license.

09/22/2010