Statoil gains drilling permit for wildcat in North Sea

Submitted by Eva Brynjulfsen on Thu, 2015-08-27 10:30

27th August 2015

Statoil has been granted a permit by the Norwegian Petroleum Directorate to drill a wildcat at the Gasol/Gretel prospect in the Norwegian sector of the North Sea.

Semi-submersible drilling rig Songa Trym

The Norwegian Petroleum Directorate has granted Statoil Petroleum AS a drilling permit for well 25/11-28. The area in this licence consists of parts of the blocks 25/8, and 25/11 situated south of the Grane field in the central part of the North Sea.

The well will be drilled from the semi-submersible drilling rig Songa Trym and its primary objective is to prove up hydrocarbon potential in the Jurassic-aged Gasol and Permian-dated Gretel.

Statoil operates the licence with an ownership interest of 57 per cent. The other licensees are Petoro AS with 30 per cent and ExxonMobil & Production Norway AS with 13 per cent.

Production licence 169 was awarded on 1 March 1991 and this is the 15th wildcat well to be drilled in the license.

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