Eni gets drilling permit for appraisal well in Barents Sea

The Norwegian Petroleum Directorate (NPD) has granted Eni Norge a drilling permit for an appraisal well in the Barents Sea offshore Norway. 

The well 7122/7-7 S will be drilled from the West Hercules drilling rig after concluding the drilling of wildcat well 7324/3-4 for Equinor in production license 615.

As reported earlier on Thursday, Equinor made a gas discovery in production license 615, near Atlantis gas discovery, in the Barents Sea using the West Hercules rig.

Eni has already obtained a safety consent from the Norwegian offshore safety watchdog to use the West Hercules for this appraisal well, which will investigate a prospect named Goliat West.

The NPD said on Thursday that the drilling program for well 7122/7-7 S relates to the drilling of an appraisal well in production license 229.

Eni Norge is the operator with an ownership interest of 65 percent and its partner is Equinor with the remaining 35 percent. The area in this license consists of parts of blocks 7122/7, 8, 9 and 10. The well is drilled about 2.4 kilometers west of the discovery well 7122/7-1 on the Goliat field.

Production license 229 was awarded in the Barents Sea Project in 1997. This is the eighth well to be drilled in the license.