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    1. Drilling & Completion

    Norway operators prepare for offshore appraisal, near-field exploration drilling

    March 7, 2014
    Exploration is picking up pace offshore Norway, with four companies securing consents for new wells.

    Offshore staff

    OSLO, Norway– Exploration is picking up pace offshore Norway, with four companies securing consents for new wells.

    The Norwegian Petroleum Directorate (NPD) has authorized Lundin Norway to drill appraisal well 7120/1-4 S in Barents Sea license PL492, using the semisubmersibleIsland Innovator. This will be the second well on the concession, awarded under Norway’s APA 2007 round. It takes in parts of blocks 7120/1 and 7120/2.

    In the North Sea, NPD has cleared RWE Dea Norge to drill its Titan appraisal well in 370 m (1,214 ft) of water in PL420 using the semisubLeiv Eiriksson. Drilling started earlier this week, at a location 16 km (9.9 mi) west of the GDF Suez Norge-operated Gjøa field.

    The company is targeting recoverable volumes of around 12 MM cu moe, and plans to drill a second well on another prospect in the license later this year.

    Titan was discovered in 2010, and the company acquired new 3D seismic data over the reservoir in 2012. The interpretation that followed led to the decision to commit to the current well, which could take 60 days to drill.

    The primary target is the Brent Group at around 3,770 m (12,369 ft) below sea level, with secondary targets in the Heather and Cook formations.

    Petroleum Safety Authority (PSA) Norway has authorized three Statoil well campaigns. One involves drilling exploration well 35/11-17 in PL090, close to Troll C in the North Sea, using the semisubSonga Trym. Water depth is 360 m (1,181 ft).

    Additionally, PSA has approved the deployment of the semisubBideford Dolphin for drilling and completion on the Vigdis and Tordis fields, and Statfjord satellites in PLs 089 and 037.

    Work is due to start this month and continue until 1Q 2017.

    Another consent involves the semisubWest Venture completing well 35/11-A-3 on Statoil’s Fram H-Nord field in North Sea PL090. The 23-day operation is due to start on March 28.

    Finally, PSA has authorized Statoil to remove, transport, and dispose of redundant SPM1 and SPM2 loading buoys at theGullfaks field in North Sea block 34/10.

    Both the single-point mooring buoys are in a water depth of 136 m (446 ft). The program is expected to start next month.

    03/07/2014