Scots oil explorer Cairn Energy says it aims to drill nine new wells over the forthcoming year.
The North Sea firm said it was looking at new and mature basin projects, as it prepared for investment over the next 12 months.
Among the projects closing in on resolution is the Premier-operate Catcher field, for which a development plan is expected to be submitted within the next few weeks.
Speaking ahead of the company’s full-year results in March, chief executive Simon Thomson said the company was looking to a mixture of projects for 2014.
“Cairn plans to drill nine wells in its 2014 exploration programme across an attractive mix of frontier and mature basins,” he said.
“Over the last 12 months, Cairn has built a long-term sustainable business.
“The exploration programme will provide investors with exposure to material growth potential alongside mature basin development and pre-development assets, all against a backdrop of continued balance sheet strength.”
Among those wells is likely to be the Atlas prospect, east of the Skarfjell field, following appraisal work on the North Sea discovery.
Skarfjell is expected to contain up to 229million barrels of oil equivalent, with development discussions under way.
Cairn, which is also a partner in the Kraken project off Shetland, said it was looking at four non-operated wells in the North Sea, at Tulla, Aragon and west of Kraken, along with Atlas.
It would also be looking at two new wells off Senegal and one off the west of Ireland, while seismic scans are planned for the Spanish Point discovery off the Irish coast.
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