Norway’s state-owned energy giant Equinor has secured the green light from the Norwegian authorities for drilling activities in the Norwegian Sea, which will be undertaken with a semi-submersible rig owned by Transocean, an offshore drilling player
The Norwegian Offshore Directorate has granted Equinor a drilling permit for the wellbore 6507/8-D-4 CH in production license 124, which is valid from February 28, 1986, up to December 31, 2045.Equinor is the operator of the license with a 39.8% stake, while its partners, ConocoPhillips Skandinavia, Petoro, and Vår Energi, hold the remaining 27.91%, 22.29%, and 10% interests, respectively.The drilling of the well will be carried out with the Transocean Encourage semi-submersible rig, which was hired on a nine-well contract, with six more optional wells, in 2023 for work on the Norwegian Continental Shelf (NCS).The 2016-built Transocean Encourage rig, which can accommodate up to 130 people, is a sixth-generation fully winterized, harsh environment semi-submersible rig with automated drilling control specially designed for operations on the NCS.