Go-ahead for Spirit Energy’s Barents Sea drilling plans

Oil and gas company Spirit Energy has been given a permit to drill the 7321/8-2 S well in the Barents Sea, offshore Norway.

Under the permit, given to Spirit Energy by the Norwegian Petroleum Directorate (NPD), the well will be drilled in production license 719 using Transocean’s Leiv Eiriksson semi-submersible drilling rig.

Spirit Energy is the operator with an ownership interest of 50 per cent and other licensees are Lukoil and Aker BP with 30 and 20 per cent stakes, respectively.

Production licence 719 was awarded in 2013 during the 22nd licensing round on the Norwegian Shelf. This is the first exploration well to be drilled in the licence.

The area in this licence consists of parts of blocks 7321/8 and 7321/9. The well will be drilled about 60 kilometres west of the 7324/8-1 (Wisting) discovery.

Spirit Energy has already obtained consent for the use of the Leiv Eiriksson on the well from PSA, the Norwegian offshore safety authority.

In its consent, the offshore watchdog stated that the activities on the well were expected to last around 54 days in a water depth of 466 metres.

As for the rig, the Leiv Eiriksson is a semi-submersible drilling rig of the SS Trosvik Bingo 9000 type, managed by Transocean following the acquisition of the rig’s previous owner Ocean Rig.

The rig has drilled two wells so far this year, both in production license 917 for ConocoPhillips, and made one minor oil and gas discovery named Enniberg, and the other one coming up dry.