Statoil will need the output from the far north to meet a goal of keeping up production levels in Norway to 2030 and beyond, Arne Sigve Nylund, the company's head of development and production in Norway, has said.
Statoil has delivered its application for the 23rd licensing round on the Norwegian continental shelf to the Norwegian authorities.
A plan for developing Norway's Zidane natural gas field could be presented in the second or third quarter of 2016, with the early parts of summer being the most likely time frame, Austria's OMV has indicated.
The Norwegian Petroleum Directorate has granted Lundin Norway AS a drilling permit for well 7130/4-1 in the Barents Sea.
Lundin Petroleum said it has temporarily suspended drilling operations on the Neiden prospect in the Barents Sea due to the looming winter weather.
A number of oil companies including Statoil and GDF Suez are set to collaborate on solving operational tasks tied to exploration in the Barents Sea. The project, called BaSEC (Barents Sea Exploration Collaboration) will initially last for around three years. It will cover the Barents Sea, with a special focus on the areas which have been included in the 23rd licensing round. Other companies involved include Eni Norge, Lundin Norway and OMV.
Electromagnetic Geoservices ASA (EMGS) has entered into a data licensing agreement with an oil company for the provision of 3D EM data worth $2.5million. The agreement is related to the 23rd licensing round in the Barents Sea.
Electromagnetic Services (EMGS) has struck an $8million deal with an international oil company. The contract will see EMGS provide 3D EM data from its multi-client data library in the Barents Sea. The company said the data will be delivered in the fourth quarter this year, with the firm booking $4.5million after the partner's share of revenues.
Statoil has completed its exploration programme in the Barents Sea, completing 10% of all exploration wells drilled in the Barents Sea. The exploration well, between 2013 and 2014, started with five wells in the vicinity of Johan Castberg. These wells were critical, Statoil said, in clarifying the oil potential in the area in order to plans for the Johan Castberg field.
Seven wells are currently active on the NCS . . . six exploration; one appraisal. Four are North Sea, two Norwegian Sea and one in the Barents. There are nine active development/production wells utilising mobile units in the sector, all North Sea. There are 38 units on the NCS . . . six on E&A duties and nine on D&P drilling. In addition, eight fixed platform D&P wells were operating as October closed. Of the remaining 23 MODUs, three are stacked in port, including the XL Enhanced 2, which is a new-build; the remaining 20 are either mobilising between drilling locations or working on in-field operations.