Exploration drilling on the Solsikke license in the Norwegian offshore sector has been delayed one month due to a recent oil services workers strike that upset drilling rig schedules.
The Solsikke license was awarded to Hydro in concession round 16 in 2000. The prospect is considered one of the most interesting in the Norwegian oil sector and may hold enormous volumes of natural gas.
The Solsikke license consists of four blocks. One of them will be drilled by the drilling rig "Scarabeo 5" at the start of October.
The block, located some 100 kilometers west of the Ormen Lange gas field, has a record deep water deth of 1,700 to 1,800 meters.
This summer's five-week long, recently settled oil services workers strike by the Norwegian Oil and Petrochemicals Workers Union (Nopef), as well as important tasks on the Tampen offshore license in the North Sea have contributed to delaying the start of exploration drilling on Solsikke to the first half of October.
Ownership stakes in Solsikke are:
- Hydro - 50 percent
- RWE-DEA - 30 percent
- Petoro - 20 percent