Norwegian offshore safety regulator PSA Norway on Monday gave its approvals for offshore exploration drilling plans by Wintershall Dea Norge and Capricorn Norge.
Wintershall Dea Norge, a Norwegian subsidiary of the German company Wintershall Dea, plans to drill an exploration well at the Bergknapp prospect in the Norwegian Sea.
The well, to be drilled by Saipem's Scarabeo 8 semi-submersible drilling rig, is in a water depth of 313 meters.
It is located in the production license 836-s. The drilling of the well – formally named 6406/3-10 - is expected to start on March 1, 2020, and will take between 37 and 107 days to complete.
Wintershall Dea Norge is the operator with a 40% stake. Its partners in the license are Spirit Energy and DNO, each holding a 30% stake.
It is worth noting, Wintershall Dea Norge back in November 2019 said it had started drilling at the Bergknapp well using the West Mira drilling rig. OEDigital has reached out to PSA Norway, seeking more info and background on the Bergknapp consent.
Responding, a PSA Norway spokesperson explained: "The drilling of well 6406/3-10 with West Mira [was] suspended... Wintershall Dea applied for a new consent for exploration drilling using Scarabeo 8, and was given this last week."
Separately, PSA Norway on Monday gave its consent to Capricorn Norge, a subsidiary of Cairn, to drill the Duncan prospect in Production licenses 880 and 248 J in the North Sea.
Capricorn will use the Island Innovator semi-submersible offshore drilling rig owned by Island Drilling. The drilling startup is planned for March or April, and the operation will take 42 to 60 days to complete.
Water depth at the site is 371 meters. Capricorn Norge AS is the operator of the PL880 with a 60% stake, with Edison Norge holding the remaining 40 percent.