The drilling rig Borgland Dolphin is ready to start drilling exploration well number 1000 on the Norwegian continental shelf some time this weekend.
The well will be drilled on the Svale field near Norne in the Norwegian Sea. Appraisal well 6608/10-7 in production licence 128 will be drilled on behalf of the operator Statoil. Drilling is scheduled to take 55 days.
Sector manager Roger Inge Johansen at the Harstad office of Exploration & Production Norway says that the objective is to survey the chemical composition in the water zone and confirm the reserves in the Svale field. In order to clarify this, it is necessary to drill quite deep into the reservoir, towards the areas where the oil comes into contact with water.
Project manager for Svale, Kjell Sirnes, says that depending on the results of the drilling, the licence group will consider submitting a plan for development and operation at the end of the year. The plan is to develop the deposits as a satellite linked to the production vessel on the Norne field. Production could start towards the end of 2003, provided that the authorities give their approval.
Statoil has a 40 per cent share in production licence 128. The other licensees are the state’s direct financial interest (25 per cent), Norsk Hydro (13.5 per cent), Norsk Agip (11.5 per cent) and Enterprise Oil (10 per cent).