Norwegian oil company Aker BP has received consent from the Petroleum Safety Authority Norway to drill a pilot well in the North Sea, off Norway.
Using Odfjell Drilling's Deepsea Nordkapp semi-submersible drilling rig, Aker BP will the pilot well 25/10-U-8, located in the North Sea production license 028B.
The well, located in a water depth of 116 meters, will take three days to drill.
The primary objective of the operation is to verify that the planned drill sites for the Hanz development wells 25/10-A-1 AH and 25/10-B-1 H are free of shallow gas/water hazards.
Aker BP sanctioned the development of the Hanz oil and gas discovery in December.
Discovered in 1997, Hanz will be tied into the Ivar Aasen platform about twelve kilometers to the south. Total reserves are around 20 million barrels of oil equivalent (mmboe).
Total investments are estimated at NOK 3.3 billion (~$363 million). The expected start-up is in the first half of 2024.
Aker BP is the operator with a 35% stake, with partners being Equinor (50%), Spirit Energy (15%)