The Norwegian Offshore Directorate has granted Equinor a drilling permit for a wildcat well in the Barents Sea, to be conducted with Transocean Enabler semi-submersible drilling rig.
The permit is for the 7220/2-2 exploration well in production license 1080, where Equinor is the operator (50%), along with the partners Vår Energi (30%), and Petoro (20%). The license is valid until February 14, 2027.
The drilling operations will be conducted using Transocean’s Transocean Enabler harsh environment semi-submersible drilling rig.
Transocean Enabler rig is of GVA 4000 NCS design, built by DSME Shipyard in 2016. It is capable of operating at maximum water depths of 500 meters, with maximum drilling depth of 8,500 meters.
In April 2023, Transocean secured a 19-well contract in Norway with Equinor for Transocean Enabler rig, at a rate of $377,000 per day at the time, as adjusted for foreign currency exchange plus eight option wells.
The contract expires in October 2025.